MLB 10: The Show Pre-Order Bonus: Free Classic Stadiums

Sony Computer Entertainment of America product marketing manager Chris Munson announced that gamers that pre-order MLB 10: The Show will receive a free voucher for six classic baseball stadiums that can be used in the game. The ballparks include:

  • The Polo Grounds (New York Mets)
  • Shibe Park (Philadelphia Phillies)
  • Forbes Field (Pittsburgh Pirates)
  • Crosley Field (Cincinnati Reds)
  • Sportsman’s Park (St. Louis Browns, St. Louis Cardinals)
  • Griffith Stadium (Washington Senators)

As a longtime baseball fan, I love this perk. I probably would have paid for the parks as DLC. Getting them for free is a great incentive to pre-order.

On a side note, the inclusion of The Polo Grounds reminded me of RPadholic and excellent pal @jpkmets. I’m sure he’d love to play on the old field.

Okay baseball fans, does this pre-order bonus make you want to drop money on a game sooner rather than later?

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Wii Classic Controller Pro Coming in April

Nintendo of America has announced that the Wii Classic Controller Pro will be available in April, both as a standalone product for $19.99 and in a bundle with Capcom’s Monster Hunter Tri for $59.99. A lot of gamers have been importing the controller from Japan due to its superior feel and modern shape. Here’s a snippet from the press release:

The Classic Controller Pro’s more traditional control configuration will give gamers the ultimate Monster Hunting experience when the bundle becomes available in North America this April at a suggested retail price of $59.99.

The new Classic Controller Pro includes a second row of shoulder buttons and ergonomically friendly grips. The Classic Controller Pro plugs directly into the Wii Remote controller, and until now, has been available only in the Japanese market.

I don’t know about you, but I generally hunt monsters with a large, bladed object or a gun. Okay, none of that is true. I’m not the least bit interested in hunting real creatures, but I’m completely interested in the Classic Controller Pro.

Are you guys and dolls going to pick one up? If so, with or without Capcom’s game?

PadCast: The One with SwitchGames’ Jason Crawford

Today’s RPad.tv “PadCast” features SwitchGames founder Jason Crawford. In addition to getting an update on Crawford’s burgeoning peer-to-peer game-trading service and community, we…kind of go all over the place. Things start off with an update on SwitchGames and move on to your excellent questions, where Crawford reveals how digital distribution will affect his business. From there we chat about the Apple tablet, what James Cameron and Rivers Cuomo have in common, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and more!

It’s long, but I think it’s a fun and informative conversation. As always, huge props to N8R for putting the video together. Please check it out and let me know what you think (please)!

This Week’s Videogame Releases

It’s not big week in terms of the number of games coming out, but it’s frickin’ huge for enthusiast gamers! On Xbox 360 there’s BioWare’s Mass Effect 2, which a bunch of you were looking forward to. The PlayStation 3 has MAG, if you’re interested in getting your multiplayer groove on in mind-shattering numbers. Wii fans have Tatsunoko VS. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars and No More Heroes 2 to look forward to. As for the handheld systems? I didn’t notice anything worth mentioning or making fun of.

Are you buying any of these games this week? (If so, feel free to use those handy Amazon links above! *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*)

Can You Spot All the WWE Superstars in the MacGruber Trailer?

There are currently six WWE Superstars involved in the MacGruber movie and five of them can be found in this trailer. 50 RPad points will be awarded to anyone that can spot them all. If Dumbledore can randomly award points then so can I (just don’t ask what the points are good for).

I really don’t “get” MacGruber. Some of the sketches were fun, but I never thought of Will Forte as someone that was funny enough to carry a movie. Those “Falconer” sketches?!? Half the time I was laughing at how bad they were. The good news for the movie is that it has a strong supporting cast, included some excellent WWE Superstars!

Google Giving Away Phones at GDC 2010 to Spur Development

Think Services has announced that “qualifying developers” that register for Game Developers Conference 2010 will receive a pair of Google Android phones: the Google Nexus One and the Motorola Droid. It’s a smart move by Google; its Android Marketplace lacks quality games and its competitors are making aggressive moves in the gaming space. Thousands of companies are trying to cash in on the installed base of Apple’s iPhone OS, while Palm recently released development tools that make porting games to its WebOS operating system (Palm Pre, Palm Pixi) much easier.

Now if I can just convince one of my development friends to register me as a designer so I don’t have to pay $529 for a Nexus One….

Coffee Talk #72: What Game Remakes Do You Dream Of?

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, your pick for the Superbowl, the huge infrastructure gap between AT&T and Verizon, or whether Allen Iverson deserves to be in the NBA All-Star game, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

Tetsuya Nomura’s comments on the rumored Final Fantasy VII remake added fuel to the fire of a story that’s never going to die. Millions of gamers want it. Square Enix would be stupid not to do it. All three console manufacturers would love it on their system. People are going to keep speculating on a new FFVII until it’s finally made. The whole thing made me wonder about the games you want to see remade.

As for me, FFVII is on the top of my list, but not for the reasons most people want it. Although I enjoy the world now that it was fleshed out by Advent Children and Crisis Core, I still don’t think VII is one of the best Final Fantasy games. It’s arguably the most important, but I had more fun with IV, V, VI, and X. I want the game to be remade because the videogame world will go absolutely apesh|t for it. It’ll be huge! I’ll have loads of fun writing about it and discussing it with y’all. While I’d certainly be interested in playing a remade and improved version of FFVII, I’m far more interested in the game for the chaos and excitement it would cause.

Today I wanted to see what games you wanted remade. Any blasts from the past that you want modernized? Maybe it’s a game that fell short at the time but would excel with current technology. Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Final Fantasy XIII Special Edition Details

UK retailer Play has revealed details on the Final Fantasy XIII special edition. (Be sure to hit the break for a photo of all the goodies!) The limited edition package will include:

  • Special fliptop packaging
  • Final Fantasy XIII Original Sound Selection — Soundtrack CD including a selection of music tracks from the game that are especially chosen for this Limited Collector’s Edition by composer Masashi Hamauzu. The CD is presented inside a slipcase featuring artwork from Final Fantasy XIII, and also liner notes that are written by the composer.
  • ‘The World of Final Fantasy XIII‘ — Hardback book featuring character artwork, CG rendered artwork and environments from across the game production.
  • Exclusive Art Prints — 3 highly collectable art prints showing artwork of the Eidolons, powerful summoned allies of the lead playable characters in Final Fantasy XIII.
  • Unique ‘Brand of the l’Cie’ decal — Collectable decal featuring this most iconic symbol from the game storyline.

Remember, this is for the PAL version of the game. The North American version could be different.

For those of you buying the game, are you going to buy the special edition or go plain vanilla?

Source via OXCGN

Tetsuya Nomura Says “No” to Final Fantasy VII Remake

In a recent interview with Famitsu, Square Enix’s Tetsuya Nomura (the James Brown of videogame development) said “no” to a Final Fantasy VII remake…for now. Andriasang translated the following Nomura comment:

Fans are looking forward to an oft rumored remake of FFVII, but I don’t believe this will happen for the time being. However, it’s possible that he will appear in other titles as a guest character.

Millions of fans around the world would love this game and I think it’s only a matter of time until it gets made. Nomura is the key to making it happen. At this time he’s way too busy and he doesn’t appear to be interested. I maintain that it would be the perfect launch title for the PlayStation 4 or PlayStation Portable 2. FFVII remake = insane system seller.

How many of you would buy a FFVII remake?

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