WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 Screens

Here’s fresh batch of WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 screens — you know, that game with the phenomenal writing? This set includes shots of John Cena, The Miz, Randy Orton, The Undertaker, Raymond Stereo Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, Sheamus, Bret “The Hitman” Hart, and sexy WWE Divas. There are no tables or chairs to be found, but there’s plenty of cage and ladder action. Check ’em out!

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Coffee Talk #201: Foursquare is Like Xbox Achievement Points

I’ve been having a blast with foursquare for the last two months. A lot of people hate the location-based check-in service, but I don’t think they get it. Sure, it’s another way for vain people to use the Internet to share more mundane details of their mundane lives, but foursquare can be fun and useful. I love checking out where my friends eat, drink, and shop; I’m more likely to try a restaurant an IRL friend likes than a random one. The baseball lover in me marks out at all the stats available on foursquare; it’s interesting to see the patterns and statistics of your social life.

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, Akron hating on Cleveland, Wyclef Jean’s bid for presidency, or Justin Timberlake being a celebrity Android lover, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

I’ve been having a blast with foursquare for the last two months. A lot of people hate the location-based check-in service, but I don’t think they get it. Sure, it’s another way for vain people to use the Internet to share more mundane details of their mundane lives, but foursquare can be fun and useful. I love checking out where my friends eat, drink, and shop; I’m more likely to try a restaurant an IRL friend likes than a random one. The baseball lover in me marks out at all the stats available on foursquare; it’s interesting to see the patterns and statistics of your social life.

The biggest reason I’m into foursquare is because it’s like Achievement Points on Xbox 360. I’ve told several of my friends that foursquare is like getting Achievement Points for life. You get points for checking in when you go out. You get bonus points for checking out places that are new to you. The points are absolutely useless, just like the ones earned in Xbox 360 games, but I want them! I love competing with my friend Tom each week to see who can rack up the most points by Sunday. It’s good fun.

Besides, I’m still hoping that foursquare will lead to me getting a beautiful 19-year old stalker. Anyway, let me know what you think of check-in services like foursquare. If you think it’s irritating now, just wait until Facebook and Google unveil their versions. This stuff is going to be huge!

Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One Gamescom 2010 Trailer

A four-player cooperative Ratchet & Clank game from the awesome people at Insomniac?!? In the immortal words of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, “Oh hell yeah!!!” Here’s the scoop from Insomniac studio director Chad Dezern:

We knew from our earliest meetings that we wanted to give players a chance to play in the Ratchet Universe with Ratchet and Clank at the same time. And after we started, we felt an almost moral obligation to include Captain Qwark and Dr. Nefarious; there was just too much comedy potential in bringing this group together for us to pass up the opportunity. Their bumbling idiocy, prickly antagonism, and unfettered evil was a perfect reflection of how we play All 4 One here in the office. I’m looking forward to telling the story of how the four of them find themselves together…

The game is about cooperative play through and through. We want to make it easy to get together with friends and family, get in a game and have fun in the Ratchet universe. We’re working hard to capture the feeling of fighting through amazing battles with other players, whether they are on the couch next to you or playing online half-a-world away.

This game will definitely be used in a future RPad.tv invitational. I’m so, So, SO hyped for All 4 One!!!

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320GB PlayStation 3 Bundle Hitting on September 19 for $399.99

Sony has unveiled the $399.99 PlayStation Sports Champions Move Bundle, which features a 320GB and other goodies. Here’s the scoop from Sony Computer Entertainment America director John Koller:

The 320GB PS3 system will hit store shelves on September 19, in conjunction with the launch of PlayStation Move. It will be part of the PS3 Sports Champions Move bundle, which includes one PlayStation Move motion controller, PlayStation Eye camera, a copy of Sports Champions on Blu-ray disc, and bonus Blu-ray game demo disc — all in one complete package for $399.99 (MSRP). The value included in this bundle is incredible and we know this will further add to the exceptionally high demand for the new platform.

Marketing speak aside, it looks like a decent deal for gamers that don’t have a PS3 and are interested in Move. Any of you going to bite the bullet on this one? What do you think of the bundle’s value?

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Coffee Talk #200: Gamers Should Hate Freddie Prinze, Jr.

It’s the 200th edition of Coffee Talk! I want to thank all of you for helping me make it this far!!! If you’d like to thank me then please do me a favor and start hating Freddie Prinze, Jr. You see, I saw him over Summer Slam weekend at the lobby of the Sheraton. Freddie used to be a writer for WWE and was visiting the wrestlers. Anyway, start hating him. Like now.

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 awesomeness of Bryan Danielson, the soap opera that is the NY Mets, or stupid bombs on Wilshire, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

It’s the 200th edition of Coffee Talk! I want to thank all of you for helping me make it this far!!! If you’d like to thank me then please do me a favor and start hating Freddie Prinze, Jr. You see, I saw him over Summer Slam weekend in the lobby of the Sheraton. Freddie used to be a writer for WWE and was visiting the wrestlers. Anyway, start hating him. Like now.

Freddie is young, handsome, and rich. He’s also a total nerd. He loves videogames. He loves wrestling. I hate that he turned his markdom into a job with WWE (especially when my WWE writing skills are far superior to his). I hate that he’s young, handsome, and rich. I hate that he’s married to an incredibly hot woman. And by hate, I mean I’m completely jealous of this man to the point where I almost have a crush on him.

To help me deal with this issue, please let me know if there are any celebrity gamers that you hate. If you like, I can hate them too!

Today’s Poll: Is the Seven-Inch iPad (Mini?) Real???

The rumors of a seven-inch iPad are swirling around the Apple universe. A smaller version of the iPad makes a lot of sense. For many users, the current model is simply too big and unwieldy to use as a lounging device; shrinking it down would allow the iPad to work for more people. For some people (tech nerds), the plain Jane IPS display isn’t cutting it — lots of gadget freaks are dreaming of an iPad that uses Apple’s vaunted “Retina Display” technology. Using that tech on a seven-inch screen would be cheaper than using it on the current 9.7-inch model.

Then again, this could all be a bunch of crap. I want to know what you think America (and hot women from Iceland). Kindly take today’s poll and share your thoughts on the matter.

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Dragon Age II Trailer Looks Awesome…Probably Nothing Like Game

As expected, the latest Dragon Age II trailer looks awesome. Having said that, I’m pretty positive it’s all pre-rendered and doesn’t look like actual gameplay. BioWare and EA did the same thing with the original game — release hot trailers and commercials that don’t truly represent the game’s look. As a huge BioWare fan, I’m fine with that because I know what the company does and I know I’ll love the results. I have to wonder if gamers unfamiliar with BioWare (a ridiculous notion, btw) feel duped by these videos.

Anyway, let me know what you think of the trailer and the matter I brought up (please).

Windows Phone 7 Launch Games and Xbox Live Connectivity Details

Microsoft has announced a ton of details on the gaming capabilities of its upcoming Windows Phone 7, including how the mobile OS interacts with Xbox Live. Here are the press release bullet points Xbox Live connectivity:

  • Be omnipotent. View, access and launch your full game library from one easy-to-navigate hub.
  • Get mad props. Earn, view and track Achievements, view Xbox Live leaderboards and build your Gamerscore every time you play an Xbox Live title.
  • Release your inner Mini Me. Connect to your Xbox Live profile and Avatar, or easily create a new one right from the phone.
  • Get tricky. Access Spotlight feeds, including the latest game titles, breaking news from Xbox LIVE, game tips and tricks, and more.
  • Play before you pay. Easily find, try and buy the games you want, either in the Marketplace or Games hub.
  • Flaunt your skills. Invite, connect and play against friends on other Windows Phone 7 phones or PCs with turn-based (asynchronous) multiplayer gaming.

Microsoft has also promised more than 50 launch games. Here are the upcoming Windows Phone 7 titles and their respective publishers:

  • 3D Brick Breaker Revolution (Digital Chocolate)
  • Age of Zombies (Halfbrick)
  • Armor Valley (Protégé Games)
  • Asphalt 5 (Gameloft)
  • Assassins Creed (Gameloft)
  • Bejeweled™ Live (PopCap)
  • Bloons TD (Digital Goldfish)
  • Brain Challenge (Gameloft)
  • Bubble Town 2 (i-Play)
  • Butterfly ( Press Start Studio)
  • CarneyVale Showtime (MGS)
  • Crackdown 2: Project Sunburst (MGS)
  • De Blob Revolution (THQ)
  • Deal or No Deal 2010 (i-Play)
  • Earthworm Jim (Gameloft)
  • Fast & Furious 7 (i-Play)
  • Fight Game Rivals (Rough Cookie)
  • Finger Physics (Mobliss Inc.)
  • Flight Control (Namco Bandai)
  • Flowerz (Carbonated Games)
  • Frogger (Konami Digital Entertainment)
  • Fruit Ninja (Halfbrick)
  • Game Chest-Board (MGS)
  • Game Chest-Card (MGS)
  • Game Chest-Logic (MGS)
  • Game Chest-Solitaire (MGS)
  • GeoDefense (Critical Thought)
  • Ghostscape (Psionic)
  • Glow Artisan (Powerhead Games)
  • Glyder 2 (Glu Mobile)
  • Guitar Hero 5 (Glu Mobile)
  • Halo Waypoint (MGS)
  • Hexic Rush (Carbonated Games)
  • I Dig It (InMotion)
  • iBlast Moki (Godzilab)
  • ilomilo (MGS)
  • Implode XL (IUGO)
  • Iquarium (Infinite Dreams)
  • Jet Car Stunts (True Axis)
  • Let’s Golf 2 (Gameloft)
  • Little Wheel (One click dog)
  • Loondon (Flip N Tale)
  • Max and the Magic Marker (PressPlay)
  • Mini Squadron (Supermono Limited)
  • More Brain Exercise (Namco Bandai)
  • O.M.G. (Arkedo)
  • Puzzle Quest 2 (Namco Bandai)
  • Real Soccer 2 (Gameloft)
  • The Revenants (Chaotic Moon)
  • Rise of Glory (Revo Solutions)
  • Rocket Riot (Codeglue)
  • Splinter Cell Conviction (Gameloft)
  • Star Wars: Battle for Hoth (THQ)
  • Star Wars: Cantina (THQ)
  • The Harvest (MGS)
  • The Oregon Trail (Gameloft)
  • Tower Bloxx NY (Digital Chocolate)
  • Twin Blades (Press Start Studio)
  • UNO (Gameloft)
  • Women’s Murder Club: Death in Scarlet (i-Play)
  • Zombie Attack! (IUGO)
  • Zombies!!!! (Babaroga)

In addition to strong thid-party support, it’s great to see first-party franchises like Crackdown and Halo coming to Windows Phone 7. Like I’ve said several times before, Microsoft is going to have an extremely difficult time catching up to Apple iOS and Google Android. Gaming is one of the ways it can differentiate Windows Phone 7 from its competitors. The initial announcements are a great start and are making gamers pay attention to the OS. It also makes the Android/PSP rumor a bit more interesting, hey?

As always, I want to know what you think about Windows Phone 7’s gaming initiatives. Fire away (please)!