Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition Detailed

Mass Effect 2 Collectors Edition

Electronic Arts has announced details on the $69.99 Mass Effect 2 Collector’s Edition. Today’s press release stated:

Available on January 26 in North America (Jan 29 in EU) alongside the standard edition, the Collectors’ Edition of Mass Effect 2 comes in a premium, tin case and includes the full version of the game, a 48-page hardcover “Art of Mass Effect 2” book, Issue 1 of the Mass Effect Redemption comic book, and a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes and making-of videos. In addition, the Mass Effect 2 Collectors’ Edition will include unique in-game weapons and armor that can only be obtained by purchasing this version.

I’m pretty sure I’ll still be playing Dragon Age: Origins when ME2 comes out, but I’ll be sure to get this game (and really, anything that BioWare puts out). How about you? Collector’s or plain vanilla?

Tekken 6 Runs Faster on Xbox 360 Than PlayStation 3

Tekken 6

Gamers that are still deciding which version of Tekken 6 to pick up might want to consider Gemaga’s recent test on comparative load times. Kotaku did some handy translating and discovered that the game loads faster on Xbox 360:

According to Gemaga, it takes over thirty seconds (33 seconds, to be exact) to change a character and change a stage running the actual game disc on the PS3, compared with the 11 seconds it takes to start a fight on the Xbox 360 using the game disc.

If you’re serious about fighting games, there’s a lot to consider. If you’re playing on a pad then PS3 is the way to go. If you have sticks for both systems, 1/3 the load time makes the 360 version awfully appealing. It’s interesting that the difference is so substantial. What do you guys and gals think?

Source via Kotaku

Modern Warfare 2 to be Biggest Launch in GameStop History

Modern Warfare 2

Everyone knows that Modern Warfare 2 is going to be huge — certainly one of the biggest games of 2009 — but according to GameStop, it will be the biggest title of the year and the biggest launch in company history. GameStop merchandising and marketing EVP Tony Bartel told Gamasutra:

By all indicators, we anticipate Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will be the biggest entertainment launch of 2009, as well as the biggest video game launch in GameStop’s history.

I’m a little surprised by this. Maybe I underestimated the game due to a lack of interest, but I definitely wasn’t expecting it to be GameStop’s biggest launch ever. Will Modern Warfare 2 really be bigger for the company than Halo or Grand Theft Auto?

Source

Follow Dark Void on Twitter, Win Jay-Z Tickets

Jay-Z

If you like Jay-Z, Twitter, and Dark Void then you definitely want to get crackin’ on Capcom’s latest promotion. The company has a chance for you to catch Jay-Z in concert this weekend. All you have to do is follow Dark Void’s Twitter page. Here are the official deets:

We scored tickets to the highly coveted Jay-Z concert, featuring N.E.R.D., Wale and J. Cole, at Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus for this Sunday November 8, 2009, beginning at 6:30PM. So, what does this mean for the Dark Void Community? Well, we’re offering this pair to one lucky Community member!

We’re hosting the contest on our official Twitter page: http://twitter.com/DarkVoidGame. To enter, all you need to do is follow our profile and re-tweet the following message:

“I wanna take @[Twitter Friend] to Jay-Z in LA! Make me a winner @DarkVoidGame. Rules: http://tinyurl.com/JayZinLA”

If you enter, feel free to take me with you. Ha! My Twitter page is here. Jay-Z would be fun, but I’d love to see N.E.R.D.

Source

Major Nelson Speaks on Banning Pirates From Xbox Live

Pirates

Microsoft’s Major Nelson addressed the issue of banning software pirates from Xbox Live in a recent blog post. The man also known as Larry the Marketing Guy said:

The health of the video game business depends on customers paying for the genuine products and services they receive from manufacturers, retailers, and the third parties that support them. This would also be a good time to remind you that the warranty on an Xbox 360 console is not transferrable and if you purchase a used console that has been previously banned, you will not be able to connect to Xbox Live.

While I have no problem with what Microsoft is doing and I agree with most of that Larry said, it still bugs me that console games in third-world countries have Western prices. Having lived in a third-world country for most of 2006, I was surprised to see that most games cost the equivalent of $50 to $60 while people were making $150 a month. For a lot of people, piracy was the only reasonable way to go.

My little rant aside, what do you think of Microsoft banning pirates from Xbox Live?

Source

Gamers Defecting From Xbox 360 to PlayStation 3 for Sequels?

Assassins Creed 2

According to research firm OTX, a lot of gamers are planning to buy sequels (Assassin’s Creed 2 and Modern Warfare 2, in particular) on the PlayStation 3 for games that they original played on the Xbox 360. Gamasutra has reported:

New data provided to Gamasutra by OTX’s GamePlan Insights finds that many sequel-buyers might be switching platforms, defecting from Xbox 360 to PlayStation 3 for more than one major release.

“The PS3 seems poised to shift the ratio of Xbox 360 to PS3 sales for most major multi-platform releases in its favor among dual owners,” [analyst Nick] Williams tells us.

This is an interesting trend that I’ve been noticing with some friends. A lot of my gamer pals that are new to the PS3 — mostly players that purchased a PS3 Slim — are buying multiplatform games for their Sony system, simply to build up their libraries. Does this apply to any of you?

Source

Super Street Fighter IV Juri Could Have Been a Chubby Ice Skater

SFIV Juri

Super Street Fighter IV’s Juri is a sexy tae kwon do vixen, but she could have been a chubby ice skater according Capcom art director Toshiyuki Kamei. Andriasang translated the official Super Street Fighter IV blog and learned:

The character’s design originally started with orders from producer Yoshinori Ono to make a female Korean character. Not necessarily an erotic female Korean character, though. According to Kamei, taking all hair and clothing variations into account, there were originally some 400 or 500 ideas for the character. Some ideas included an old woman and an ice skater.

The character was originally cuter and chubbier. They gradually thinned her out, with Kamei admitting that they at one point went too far and had to revert a bit.

Having had numerous dating experiences with Korean women, I assure you that chubby-ice-skater Juri would have been as terrifying as sexy Juri. Check out Juri in action against T. Hawk in the video below.

Continue reading “Super Street Fighter IV Juri Could Have Been a Chubby Ice Skater”

Today’s Poll: Which Version of Dragon Age: Origins?!?

Dragon Age Origins

I’m torn on this matter. As a longtime Baldur’s Gate fan, it feels natural to play this game on a PC. Unfortunately, I’m all laptop these days and I worry that my Nvidia GeForce 8400m won’t cut the mustard. Plus, if I’m going to be sinking 100+ hours into a game, my couch would be more comfortable than my Herman Miller Mirra. That said, I’ve been reading about some nasty bugs on the PS3 version. I’m not sure if the same bugs plague the Xbox 360 version, but I’m going to do more research. Which version of Dragon Age: Origins to buy?!? I don’t know! How about you?

[poll id=”5″]

Xbox Live Rewards Squad Affinity Program Kicks Off

Microsoft has invited a select group of Xbox Live users to participate in the Xbox Live Rewards Squad affinity program. I mentioned the dealio a few weeks ago. The program is now live (for some) and the official site lists the following details:

For the next six months, the Rewards Squad will hook you up with Microsoft Points just for doing the stuff Xbox Live members do all the time. You’ll score points not only for renewing your Gold subscriptions; you’ll get a reward on what you spend on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The best part is, the more you spend, the more you get, and for each month you stay on Gold, the higher your monthly reward up to 5% of your Marketplace spend.

Here’s a giant graphic with some of the rewards players can earn. After you’ve gotten over its largeness, let me know what you think of Xbox Live Rewards Squad. Is the eventual goal to fight Best Buy’s Geek Squad? Probably.

Xbox Live Rewards Squad

Source

Coffee Talk #17: PS3 vs. Xbox 360 Controller Battle!

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, Ozzy Osbourne hosting Monday Night Raw, Apple possibly getting into subscription television, or the French press vs. drip machine debate, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Prior to this console generation, Sony was the undisputed king of console controllers. Then out of nowhere (at least, that’s how it seemed to me), the Xbox 360 controller took the throne. Personally, I don’t get it. I love the shape of the Dual Shock, prefer its more precise analog sticks, and hate the d-pad on the 360 controller. All that said, I understand why the Xbox 360 became so popular. It all started last console generation….

xbox 360 ps3 controllers slider

Shooters became prominent on consoles. Initially, shooter aficionados scoffed at the idea of playing with anything that wasn’t a mouse and keyboard. As consoles became more popular and PC gaming less popular, a lot of gamers begrudgingly lived out their World War II and space-marine fantasies on consoles. Eventually, the control schemes became better and more precise. A lot of shooter fans — especially Americans — preferred the larger Xbox and Xbox 360 controllers for shooting.

The Type-S controller for the original Xbox is also worth mentioning. The original Xbox controller was a giant piece of crap. The Type-S was much, much better — especially for shooters. The Xbox 360 pad is a nice evolution of the Type-S. Sony’s Dual Shock 3, on the other hand, isn’t much of a progression from the Dual Shock 2. Some, myself included, will argue that the company was right not to stray from an already excellent design. Others will say that Microsoft’s advancements give it an edge. I guess there’s something to be said about going to crap (original Xbox controller) to very good (Xbox 360 pad).

Anyway, I want to know which controller you prefer and why. Do you dig the small footprint and classic design of the Dual Shock 3? Or do you like the larger and more evolved Xbox 360 pad?