Category: Videogames

Interactive Achievement Awards Nominees Announced

The excellent Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences has announced the nominees for the 2011 Interactive Achievement Awards. The AIAS is one of my favorite professional organizations in the gaming business and it runs a top-notch awards show. You know when people win a Grammy or Oscar award they thank “The Academy”? The AIAS is the videogame industry’s Academy. They rock.

Please let me know what you think of this year’s group. And the nominees are….

Game of the Year
Angry Birds HD (Publisher: Chillingo; Developer: Rovio)
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Publisher: Activision; Developer: Treyarch)
God of War III (Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America; Developer: SCE Santa Monica Studio)
Mass Effect 2 (Publisher: Electronic Arts; Developer: Bioware)
Red Dead Redemption (Publisher: Rockstar Games; Developer: Rockstar San Diego)

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
Angry Birds HD (Publisher: Chillingo; Developer: Rovio)
Dance Central (Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios/MTV Games; Developer: Harmonix Music Systems)
Heavy Rain (Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America; Developer: Quantic Dream)
LIMBO (Publisher: Playdead; Developer: Playdead)
Red Dead Redemption (Publisher: Rockstar Games; Developer: Rockstar San Diego)

Action Game of the Year
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Publisher: Electronic Arts; Developer: Digital Illusions CE)
Call of Duty: Black Ops (Publisher: Activision; Developer: Treyarch))
God of War III (Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America; Developer: SCE Santa Monica Studio)
Halo: Reach (Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios; Developer: Bungie)
Red Dead Redemption (Publisher: Rockstar Games; Developer: Rockstar San Diego)

Adventure Game of the Year
Alan Wake (Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios; Developer: Remedy Entertainment)
Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Publisher: Ubisoft; Developer: Ubisoft Montreal)
ENSLAVED: Odyssey to the West (Publisher: Namco Bandai; Developer: Ninja Theory)
Heavy Rain (Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America; Developer: Quantic Dream)
LIMBO (Publisher: Playdead; Developer: Playdead)

Casual Game of the Year
Angry Birds HD (Publisher: Chillingo; Developer: Rovio)
Bejeweled 3 (Publisher: PopCap Games; Developer: PopCap Games)
Kinect Sports (Publisher: Microsoft Game Studio; Developer: Rare)
Pac-Man Championship Edition DX (Publisher: Namco Bandai; Developer: Namco Bandai)
Plants vs. Zombies (Publisher: PopCap Games; Developer: PopCap Games)

Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (Publisher: Nintendo; Developer: Square Enix)
Fable III (Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios; Developer: Lionhead Studios)
Fallout: New Vegas (Publisher: Bethesda Softworks; Developer: Obsidian Entertainment)
Mass Effect 2 (Publisher: Electronic Arts; Developer: Bioware)
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm (Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment; Developer: Blizzard Entertainment)

Social Networking Game of the Year
Cityville (Publisher: Zynga; Developer: Zynga)
Family Feud (Publisher: iWin/Backstage Technologies; Developer: iWin/Backstage Technologies)
FrontierVille (Publisher: Zynga; Developer: Zynga)
Nightclub City (Publisher: Booyah; Developer: Booyah)
Ravenwood Fair (Publisher; Lolapps; Developer: Lolapps)

Nintendo 3DS American Launch Lineup

According to Nintendo of America, the company will have more than 30 games for the Nintendo 3DS’ launch window — a conveniently concocted term that covers the period from the 3DS’ March 27 launch to E3 2011. Here’s more information from the press release:

During the launch window (between the March 27 launch date and the E3 Expo in early June) more than 30 games will be available to Nintendo 3DS owners. These include Nintendo-created games like Pilotwings Resort, which has players soaring acrobatically over iconic Wuhu Island; nintendogs + cats, a new version of the Nintendo DS classic with a feline enhancement; and Steel Diver, a side-scrolling submarine adventure that gives the illusion that the player is peering into an aquarium. Other Nintendo 3DS games in the works include The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Kid Icarus: Uprising and new installments in the Mario Kart, Animal Crossing and Paper Mario series.

Nintendo 3DS also enjoys some of the strongest third-party support of any system launch. A partial list of titles coming soon to Nintendo 3DS includes Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked from Atlus; Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition and Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D from Capcom; Madden NFL Football from EA SPORTS; The Sims 3 from Electronic Arts; Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 3D from Konami; LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars from LucasArts; Ridge Racer 3D and Dual Pen Sports from Namco Bandai Games America Inc.; Super Monkey Ball 3D, Thor: God of Thunder and CRUSH 3D from SEGA; BUST-A-MOVE UNIVERSE from Square Enix, Inc.; Samurai Warriors Chronicles and Dead or Alive Dimensions from Tecmo Koei America Corp.; and Asphalt 3D, Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Shadow Wars, Combat of Giants: Dinosaurs 3D, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D, Rayman 3D and Rabbids Travel in Time from Ubisoft.

I’m all about the first-party games, as well as Dead or Alive and Street Fighter. And you? Which Nintendo 3DS launch games have your attention?

Congrats TQ Jefferson, Now Where’s My Quasar Game?!?

I was pleased to learn that TQ Jefferson was promoted to vice president of production for Marvel Entertainment’s games division. A friend of mine works at Marvel and introduced me to TQ at Game Developers Conference. He’s a cool guy…and I’ve been bugging him to make a Quasar game ever since I met him. Perhaps with his newfound (great) power he will do the (greatly) responsible thing and make a frickin’ Quasar game.

For the record, I’m talking about Wendell Vaugh Quasar, not the lesbian Quasar…though at this point I’ll settle for any videogame that shows the world how awesome Quantum Bands are…. How about it TQ?!?

Have You Tried Kongregate Arcade for Android?

One area where Google Android looks silly compared to iOS is games. With that in mind, I was thrilled that Kongregate Arcade appeared in the Android Market…and was bummed that it got pulled. Thankfully, you can still download it here. The program is on my trusty T-Mobile G2, but I haven’t had the chance to try any games just yet. I know that several of you are Android users. If you have a chance, check out Kongregate Arcade and let me know if it has any games that you enjoy. I’ll do the same after I play a few.

Buy Portal 2 PS3, Get PC/Mac Version for Free

Valve Software has announced that customers that purchase the PlayStation 3 version of Portal 2 and tie their PSN ID to their Steam account will get the PC/Mac version for free. Additionally, the game will feature cross-platform multiplayer and chat between Mac, PC, and PS3 players. In today’s press release, Valve president Gabe Newell said:

We made a promise to gamers at E3 that Portal 2 for the PlayStation 3 would be the best console version of the product. Working together with Sony we have identified a set of features we believe are very compelling to gamers. We hope to expand upon the foundation being laid in Portal 2 with more Steam features and functionality in DLC and future content releases.

This is a really exciting development for Portal fans…except for those that only play games on an Xbox 360. In light of today’s announcement, that version looks kind of crap in comparison, don’t you agree?

PSA: Huge EA Xbox Live Sale

Microsoft and EA have slashed prices on all sorts of digital content on Xbox Live. Loads of games and excellent DLC are on sale. Here’s the list:

Microsoft and EA have slashed prices on all sorts of digital content on Xbox Live. Loads of games and excellent DLC are on sale. Here’s the list:

Add-ons
Dragon Age: Origins:
Awakenings Normally: 2400 Sale: 1200 Discount: 50%
Warden’s Keep Normally: 560 Sale: 280 Discount: 50%
Return to Ostagar Normally: 400 Sale: 200 Discount: 50%
The Darkspawn Chronicles Normally: 400 Sale: 200 Discount: 50%
The Golems of Amgarrak Normally: 400 Sale: 200 Discount: 50%
Witch Hunt Normally: 560 Sale: 280 Discount: 50%
Leliana’s Song Normally: 560 Sale: 280 Discount: 50%

Medal of Honor Hot Zone Pack Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
FIFA 11 Live Season All Leagues Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Madden 11 Max Pack Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Tiger 11 Favorites Course Pack Normally: 1600 Sale: 800 Discount: 50%
NCAA Football 11 Powerpack Normally: 2400 Sale: 1200 Discount: 50%
NHL 11 20th Anniv. Bauer Boost Pack Normally: 560 Sale: 280 Discount: 50%
Fight Night Round 4 Champions Pack II Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%

Games
Madden NFL Arcade Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
NHL 3 on 3 Arcade Normally: 400 Sale: 200 Discount: 50%
RISK: Factions Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
MicroBot Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Battleship (Hasbro FGN) Price: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Scrabble (Hasbro FGN) Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Boggle (Hasbro FGN) Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
DeathSpank Normally: 1200 Sale: 600 Discount: 50%
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue Normally: 1200 Sale: 600 Discount: 50%
Battlefield 1943 Normally: 1200 Sale: 600 Discount: 50%

I’m going to buy the last bits of Dragon Age: Origins DLC that I don’t have. How about you? Anything on the list temp you?

Source

Final Fantasy Type-0 (Agito) Leaked Trailer

The game formerly known as Final Fantasy Agito XIII has a new name — Final Fantasy Type-0! I’m digging the trailer for this PlayStation Portable RPG. I know that a lot of you are down on the PSP, but this game looks to be the best thing going on the system since Crisis Core. In fact, one of the reasons I’m looking forward to the game is for Takeharu Ishimoto’s music. I loved his work on Crisis Core and hope that my ears are dazzled in Agito Type-0.

What do you think of the Final Fantasy Type-o trailer?

Final Fantasy Versus XIII Leaked Trailer

You want to check out this trailer for Final Fantasy Versus XIII for PlayStation 3. Why? Because it’s the frickin’ hotness! The graphics are expectedly gorgeous, while the real-time gameplay looks super sharp and very different for a Final Fantasy game.

Kindly check out the clip and share your thoughts! As for me, I admit that the trailer is ridiculous, but I’m still more interested in Final Fantasy XIII-2.

Square Enix Announces Final Fantasy XIII-2 + Leaked Trailer

Last week’s rumors were true! Square Enix has officially announced Final Fantasy XIII-2 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Coming “next winter”, the game is a direct sequel to the hugely popular Final Fantasy XIII. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

Production on Final Fantasy XIII-2 is underway, and builds upon the best aspects of Final Fantasy XIII. In particular, a brand new story and evolved battle system promise to stand out markedly against the standard for high-quality content established by the previous title.

I was psyched when I first heard rumors about this game. I was super psyched when a few unnamed sources told me that they’ve seen it. Although Square Enix has been getting a ton of buzz from its latest Final Fantasy Versus VIII trailer, I’m actually more interested in this game (for now).

Be sure to check out the leaked trailer above. What do you think?!? Happy? Sad? Meh?

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Coffee Talk #286: What Was the Last Game You Loved?

Confession: I did not love a game in 2010. There were loads of games I enjoyed and really liked. Heavy Rain, Final Fantasy XIII, and Pokemon SoulSilver certainly entertained me…but they didn’t made me feel “the love”. When I say love, I’m…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the WWE Royal Rumble going from 30 to 40 Superstars, how kinky it is that Miss America is 17, or the odds of Jessica Alba getting divorced (and forming a Super Hottie club with Scarlett Johansson), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Confession: I did not love a game in 2010. There were loads of games I enjoyed and really liked. Heavy Rain, Final Fantasy XIII, and Pokemon SoulSilver certainly entertained me…but they didn’t made me feel “the love”. When I say love, I’m talking about games that just floor you to the point where you’re just so incredibly grateful that you’re a gamer — games that make you reaffirm your love for this hobby and feel blessed that you can enjoy this remarkable form of entertainment.

I don’t think I’ve “loved” a game since Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII. How about you? What was the last game you loved?