God of War III Ultimate Edition Reeks of Awesomeness

I’m usually not big on limited edition game sets (American ones, that is), but the God of War III Ultimate Edition looks so frickin’ cool that I might have to pre-order it. EB Games has it listed at $99.99, which isn’t too ridiculous. Sony product marketing manager Anthony Caiazzo detailed all the goodies on the PlayStation Blog:

God of War 3 Ultimate Edition

Exclusive Collectibles

  • High-End Sculpted Replica of Pandora’s Box
  • Limited-Edition God of War Art Book featuring exclusive art, content and interviews

Exclusive Digital Content (Available via PlayStation Network voucher codes on day of launch)

  • God of War Combat Arena containing an exclusive environment and seven challenges
  • Premium Kratos Skin – Dominus
  • God of War: Unearthing the Legend Franchise Documentary – a full-length movie documentary depicting the history of the God of War franchise
  • God of War Trilogy Soundtrack – God of War, II, and III scores from the game (mp3 digital download).
  • God of War: Blood and Metal EP – a heavy metal homage featuring original music inspired by God of War (mp3 digital download).

I’m probably going to get it just so that I can open Pandora’s box on a daily basis. I’ll find that hilarious for about a year.

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Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski Thinks Project Natal is Amazingly Fun

Project Natal

Yesterday, you read Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski’s thoughts on OnLive. Today you get the renowned game designer’s opinion on Project Natal. In my recent interview with Cliff, I asked him what he saw in Microsoft’s motion-sensing wonder. He said:

I see an amazingly fun system that will expand the Xbox user base in a direction previously untapped by Microsoft and currently owned by Nintendo. When all is said and done, there are probably going to be “Wii Fit”-like games, more “hardcore experience”-based games as well as some that lie somewhere between the two.

I don’t believe that motion or gesture-based controls of any sort will replace the controller any time soon. They will merely enable yet another way to interact with your console, and Natal could potentially enhance classic controller-based games in many, many different and exciting ways. (None of which I’m ready to talk about at this time, so Internet, don’t go reading into this too much and start drawing random conclusions.)

What do you think of Cliffy B’s opinions on Project Natal? Agree? Disagree? What do you make of him addressing the Internet as if it were a person or a group of people? Is it a mental disorder that he developed while working so hard on Gears of War?

Nokia Killing N-Gage Platform, Moving Everything to Ovi Store

Nokia N-Gage

Nokia has announced that it will be dissolving the N-Gage platform in 2010 in favor of the Ovi Store. While the company is positioning the move as simply making Ovi a one-stop destination, it’s really the final nail in the coffin for Nokia’s ambitious but horribly flawed venture into gaming. The N-Gage blog stated:

N-Gage games can be purchased until the end of September 2010. While the N-Gage.com site together with the N-Gage Arena and other community features will remain in operation throughout 2010, the Ovi Store will be the new central place for all the mobile games that Nokia and other publishers offer from this point forward. We will no longer publish new games for the N-Gage platform.

I was really high on the potential of N-Gage leading up to its launch. The idea of a quality gaming platform with social features integrated into a mobile phone sounded awesome. Nokia was huge at the time and seemed like the perfect company to pull it off. Talking to various execs had me psyched for the device…

…but then I went to a launch event in London and was disappointed in the realization of N-Gage. From the vertical screen to the side-talkin’ taco to the clunky interface, Nokia had failed on too many levels. It never recovered from its initial failures either. It’s a shame, because the company had some really great ideas, but somewhere between the idea stage and the product stage, so much was lost.

Did any of you ever play around with N-Gage? Or was it always a joke to you?

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What Are You Playing This Weekend?

Just because the Yankees are going to do some damage in Philadelphia this weekend doesn’t mean that I won’t have time to play games. Ha! There are three games that I’m going to play more of this weekend. The first was a total surprise — Marvel Superhero Squad for PSP. I brought it with me on my brief trip to SF and I just couldn’t put it down. A lot of it is dumb and basic, but I was enjoying the mindlessness of it all and I imagine that it would be a great game to play with my eight-year old…uhm…if I had an eight-year old, that is.

Of course I’m going to be playing more WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 — the front runner for the “best writing in a game made by man” award. I’m still playing around in dream matches and “Road to WrestleMania” mode, but I promise to eventually make some content and upload it.

Magnacarta 2

Lastly, I’m going to play some Magnacarta 2. As many of you know, I love me some Japanese RPGs. This one looks pretty traditional (totally cool with me) and the reviews haven’t been the best, but a few of my fellow RPG lovers have really enjoyed it. I want to see for myself.

As always, I want to know what you’re playing. Share your weekend playlist with the gang.

Coffee Talk #15: Frightening Games for Halloween

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 Yankees totally ruling last night, Foo Fighters playing on Facebook, or the brilliance that is beef Wellington, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

It’s Halloween tomorrow and a fantastic time to scare the crap out of yourself with a good survival-horror game. The genre has gone through a lot of changes since it was made popular by the first Silent Hill and Resident Evil games. Somewhere along the line, survival-horror titles became shooting-the-hell-out-of-everything-with-a-large-arsenal-of-automatic-weapons games. Survival? Sure (as long as you don’t run out of bullets). Horror? Not so much.

Fatal Frame

Even though the games had a few issues, the Fatal Frame series is probably my favorite line of survival-horror games. Clever use of graphics and sound created a truly creepy atmosphere. Using a magical camera as your only weapon (as ridiculous as it sounds) added a feeling of helplessness. Mixing Shinto rituals with modern occultism gave the games a sense of believable fantasy. Fatal Frame has such a unique and fantastic mood — something most recent survival-horror titles have eschewed in favor of rapid-fire action.

On the eve of Halloween, I want to know what game or games you think are scary. What titles made you turn on the lights? Do you have any favorite “oh s&*t” moments in a game that you’ll never forget? Let your fellow RPadholics know (but try not to scare anyone too badly).

New Final Fantasy XIII Gestalt Modes: Bahamut and Brynhildr

Oerba summon

Square Enix has updated the official Final Fantasy XIII web site with new information and pictures on two gestalt modes. First up is Bahamut, Oerba Yun Fang’s summon. Longtime FF fans will remember Bahamut as one of the most potent summons around. In FFXIII, it becomes a…chocobo/bat machine…with a little AT-ST thrown in.

Sazh Katzroy’s summon is just as ridiculous.

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Ratchet & Clank the Last 60fps Game From Insomniac

Ratchet and Clank Future

Citing research recently performed by the company, Insomniac Games engine director Mike Acton said that Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time will likely be the company’s last game that runs at 60 frames per second. The research concluded that hitting 60fps isn’t worth the effort because it “does not significantly affect sales” and “does not significantly affect the reviews”. Acton concluded:

It means that framerate is still important to us here at Insomniac, but it’s not on the same pedestal it was before. And that Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time will probably be Insomniac’s last 60fps game.

With development costs continuing to skyrocket, I understand the need for some tough decisions. While I agree that many critics and gamers are satisfied with 30fps, there are some that demand 60fps. People that fall into the latter category tend to be extremely vocal. They’ll complain long, loud, and hard about lower frame rates. They’ll convince other people to complain about the lower frame rates. It’ll be anarchy!!! (Breakfast Club reference)

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Foo Fighters Concert Streaming on Facebook Tonight

In an interesting (and geeky) promotional event, Facebook will be hosting a streaming Foo Fighters concert tonight at 7PM PST. The event will be broadcast using Livestream’s technology and is being held to promote the band’s upcoming Greatest Hits album.

Whether you’re a fan of the band or not, you have to admit that this is pretty awesome. It’s crazy how far technology has come in such a short time. When Foo Fighter’s frontman Dave Grohl was playing drums in Nirvana, I’m pretty sure he didn’t envision reaching millions of fans through a streaming concert hosted by a social networking site…but that’s just conjecture.

Foo Fighters

Click here and here for more info on the concert.

Today’s Poll: Which Nintendo DSi XL Color Do You Like Best?

By now, you should have heard about Nintendo’s DSi XL (DSi LL in Japan). Armed with 4.2-inch screens, a big stylus, and mature colors, Nintendo hopes to attract older gamers with its upcoming handheld system. Right now, I don’t give a damn whether the company succeeds or not. I want to know which DSi XL launch color you like best — dark brown, natural white, or wine red. Have at it!

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Not sure which one to choose? Hit the jump for three pictures of the DSi XL in its various shades.

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Xbox Live Avatars Get College Clothes

California Golden Bears

Disruptive Media has unveiled a slew of collegiate clothing for your Xbox Live dollies avatars. Available now, these threads will let you show other Xbox Live gamers how proud you are of your alma mater (if you happened to attend one of the 30 schools available). The company’s press release stated:

Disruptive Media Publishers (DP), a leading provider of Xbox 360 personalization content, announced the release of a new collection of avatar apparel items featuring 30 top U.S. universities. The release marks the first time users can personalize their Xbox Live Avatars with officially licensed university branded apparel licensed through The Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), a division of IMG Worldwide. From varsity jackets to fitted caps, hooded sweatshirts, polo shirts and shoes, hundreds of unique university branded items are now available on Xbox Live Avatar Marketplace.

This is just smart. I know a lot of you aren’t big on Xbox dolly clothes, but this line of avatar apparel is sure to sell like crazy. Hit the jump for the full list and let me know if your school was included. Having attended a division III university with a crappy sports program, I’m out of luck.

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