Honorable Mention: Pre-Order Bonuses with Dishonored

As much as I was looking forward the latest first person stealth magic slaughterfest from Arkane Studios and Bethesda Softworks, the pre-order bonuses for Dishonored were too nifty to ignore. Check out the best in whale oil-punk reproduction goods money can buy.

Review: Plants Vs. Zombies - Gambling Edition

Plants Vs. Zombies has to be my favorite "casual" game, which always seemed like an odd choice of words. Plenty of games are essentially casual. I mean, who really sat down to tackle the plot of GTAIII? I'm pretty sure most gamers, hardcore to not, just screwed around driving off ramps and into pedestrians a couple hours at a time. That sort of violence took way less patience and skill than PVZ. Thankfully, after playing the DS, Xbox 360, and PC versions, I've found the most casual form of Plants Vs. Zombies: The Lottery Ticket.

Playable Characters: Borderlands Psycho Bandit Figure

I consider myself a lucky individual when my wife hands me an action figure on my birthday, particularly an action figure from one of my favorite games. I've already received an Ezio from Assassin's Creed, now he's got a pal. A Psycho Bandit pal, but still a pal. Pics after the jump.

Lost Levels: Hey, I can read too ya' know.

I haven't had much luck tracking down retro gaming in recent months. I've come across the occasional SNES game or sealed DS classic, just nothing really remarkable. A couple of trips to local used book stores did produce some decent results, although not specifically video game software. While nothing rare these two strategy guides are two fine additions to the collection, each bringing a unique flavor to classic gaming literature.

Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] - Mark of Mastery Unboxing

Sorry for the long hiatus. It took me a couple weeks to type out that title.Yikes.

It's nice to see a collector's edition for a handheld console, especially for the 3DS which has been missing true 3rd party love.  As far as limited releases go this one knocks others out of the park, considering the lackluster collector's editions made for the PSP. Check out the goodies for Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] - Mark of Mastery Edition inside after the jump.

God that's exhausting...

Halo 4 Lithograph: Quoth the Raven, what a shine!

Jumping on the 'way-too-early-pre-order' bandwagon, Best Buy is currently offering a free lithograph with five bucks deposit towards Halo 4. Truth be told I don't know when the next chapter in the Master Chief saga is coming out, and frankly I couldn't care less. Remind me later when it's a month from release. Then I can stop playing Halo: Reach and drop $60 to play some more Halo. Because nothing is wrong with that picture. This picture, however, is what's right with Halo.

Lost Levels: NCSoft Collector's Editions - Part Two

My brief synopsis of NCSoft's past collector's editions ended up being more picture intensive than I planned, so I'm putting the overflow in a second post. Despite the game's lack of success, Tabula Rasa was a well-conceived action rpg with interesting weapons/magic combat mechanics. Without going into too many details, it played like an MMO of Mass Effect, which was also released during the same month. Coincidence? Probably. Still, Tabula Rasa has a much more comprehensive collector's edition pulled straight from its fiction.

Lost Levels: NCSoft Collector's Editions - Part One

As I've made clear in the past, I'm not much of a PC gamer. My roots were always firmly planted in console gaming; pre-Nintendo I was rocking the Odyssey in my parents' basement. I barely touched a computer for gaming until early high school after witnessing the marvels of Dark Forces II: Jedi Knight at a friend's house. Not realizing my PC was capable of manipulating the Force I promptly began to invest in some other worthy titles: Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, Civilization II , X-Wing: Rogue Squadron. Nothing really crazy, just the usual big-league titles that made the rounds in high school. It wasn't until college that I eventually dabbled in some MMORPGs like City of Heroes. While the appeal of playing in a progressive world kept me interested, the monthly fee draining my already low finances put a halt to the new endeavor. Eventually I met PC gaming halfway with Guild Wars, the only (good) subscription-free online RPG. By essentially flipping a massive multiplayer middle-finger to World of Warcraft, ArenaNet and NCSoft established itself as a respectable source of virtual worlds. Regardless of their level of success I've been a big fan of the games, and their respective universes. Here's a brief look at a few of NCSoft's other collector's editions, from the very successful to the quickly forgotten.

Preview - Game of Thrones: Visuals from the RPG

This weekend after a failed attempt to score some bonus AR cards from the recent Kid Icarus: Uprising events at Gamestop, I was able to secure a copy of the pre-order artbook for Game of Thrones. The upcoming RPG from Atlus is due next week and looks intriguing. Granted we're talking about a licensed game based on a cable show, based on a book series. Atlus has a respectable track record and usually does not disappoint. I haven't heard much about how this sidestory which blend with a compelling collection of literature, or the details of combat mechanics. Thankfully, from the look of this book, fans of the series expect a faithful visual interpretation of George R. R. Martin's fantasy epic.

Max Payne 3: The Promo Stuff

So Rockstar must really want us to remember the Max Payne series. Apparently they think gamers forgot about the awesome use of slo-mo bullet-time, the gritty and intense storyline, and the unique graphic novel style presentation. With the third and latest entry releasing next week, Rockstar has been ramping up awareness of Max Payne 3 like there's no tomorrow. Thankfully they're not asking us to remember this mess, but instead offering more reasons to support the original pill-popping hero in all his glory. With free stuff.

Ooh, you tease.

Review: The Walking Dead Episode One

There's a moment in the first episode of Telltale Games' The Walking Dead that sums up the unique experience. While our hero, the enigmatic newcomer Lee, is chatting with a series regular (both comic and TV), tension mounts as friendly conversation turns to inquisition. As I stumble to respond without hesitation I let slip a crucial bit of information about Lee's past. In that temporary lapse in judgement I forever changed two characters' relationship as well as the course of the game. That's what this short bit of adventure does so well; create engaging characters through brief but emotional dialogue. I've only logged a few hours with The Walking Dad's first (real) foray into video games and the second episode can't come soon enough. And I haven't even mentioned the zombies yet.

 They're walking, and they're dead. Are you following this?

The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings Enhanced Edition Unboxing (I swear that's the title)

I have never been much of a PC gamer, as I've made clear in the past. More recently my experience with PCs, specifically laptop-based gaming, has been limited to demoing console releases via the OnLive streaming service. By no means a perfect replacement for either consoles or PCs, the service still offers a novel approach to this generation's gaming options. During one of my several timed demos with OnLive, I sampled a good 25-30 minutes of The Witcher. A surprise hit during its original release, The Witcher gathered a substantial following thanks to the craftsmanship of Polish developer CDProjekt; a unique blend of mature story and sophisticated combat mechanics.

A few years down the road a sequel was released, which enhanced the Witcher's tight combat/magic controls and added to the deep lore of the original. The resulting game was another very polished (Polish'ed?) release from a still relatively unknown Eastern European developer. With my total experience limited to a taste of what the series had to offer I knew I had two choices: buy a better laptop, or pray for a console release.

How many Polish developers does it take to ship a smash-hit RPG?

Prototype 2: Blackwatch Collector's Edition Unboxing

I haven't made this clear enough but Prototype on Xbox 360 is quite possibly one of my favorite games. Ignoring the plot that takes itself a little too seriously, the adventures of Alex Mercer running, gliding, and kicking helicopters make for a good time. I wouldn't call Prototype perfect, it's just fun. Imagine living the life of a superhero in a decaying New York City, without the responsibility or moral dilemma of helping citizens. Instead, you consume their life force to fuel your rampaging bloodbath. All to save the day.

Look at our hero in action.

Clearly deserving of a sequel, Prototype 2 finally released this week after three long years. Feeling compelled to purchase collector's editions I naturally scooped up the fancy pants Blackwatch Edition from Best Buy. Check out the pics after the jump.

PAX East 2012: Contest Winners!

Well, the weekend passed and I picked the two winners for the PAX East 2012 swag giveaway. Congratulations to you both, you lucky gamers will be receiving your prize packages shortly.

Thanks to everyone for commenting; it was great seeing all the excitement and support! This was an even better turnout than my last contest so you can definitely expect more giveaways in the future.

And just a reminder to the winners: I sent out the official notice on Saturday morning via email/PM. If you have not responded with your information please contact me asap.

My best regards to all who participated and keep on checking out the blog!

Game Plus+: Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction – Xbox

I remember playing a demo of the original Mercenaries for Xbox years ago in college. It came with another game or movie or something like that. I didn’t know anything about it at the time but I was aware of Pandemic’s work on Star Wars: Battlefront, one of the best games in the franchise. After completing the first mission I was hooked on the formula, and jumped right into the full game the day it was released. Eventually a sequel followed three years later, which was a mixed blessing depending on what one’s expectations were. Regardless, the series deliver unapologetic mayhem without taking its plot too seriously. While any future games are highly unlikely given the demise of Pandemic, I found myself replaying the first entry these past few weeks. And I gotta say this game was way more awesome than I remember.

CLOSED - PAX East 2012: Contest!

UPDATE: CONTEST CLOSED!

I'll be picking two winners shortly, stay tuned for a follow-up post.
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Alright folks, time for the good stuff. After countless hours walking the convention floor and seeing all the sights I've collected a hefty haul of swag. Naturally, since I have barely enough room for my games as it is the only fair thing to do is give away a bunch of free stuff.

Free stuff after the jump!

PAX East 2012: My Favorite Bits

I know PAX East is still new to Boston (3 years old) and it already feels like an entirely different show than the first expo in 2010. This year's event was phenomenal with tons of games to check out, including small and local indie titles unavailable anywhere else. I probably couldn't even remember half of what I saw and played if it wasn't for all the pics I took. So here there are, just a few of the best bits of PAX East 2012.

Easter Sunday. Not so busy on the outside...

PAX East 2012: Jet Set Radio!

Even though we usually plan out costumes months in advance, it always seems like my wife and I rely on the last two weeks to finish assembly. I guess there's something about the hurried insanity of way too many late nights that add a little touch of magic to the costumes. Oh well, some insomnia never hurt anyone, right? Onward to costumes at PAX East 2012!

 We're down there, I promise.

PAX East 2012: Most Promising Game

This past weekend was Penny Arcade's annual celebration of all things gaming. Between a Saturday filled with costumes and picture taking, and a Sunday of non-stop gaming and swag, I'm pretty damn tired. Over the next couple days I'll have some posts recapping the highlights of the weekend shenanigans. First up, a brief preview of a seriously exciting game coming out later this summer: Deadlight.

Assassin's Creed: Tomahawk Edition

If the idea of a tomahawk throwing Italian-Native American (or something) isn't enticing enough, Ubisoft and select retailers are giving away sweet steelbook cases for Assassin's Creed III with preorder. Faster than you can say "How" I dropped a finsky at my local Gamestop. Behold the glory of said axe wielding assassin rendered by master bad-ass artist Alex Ross.

Metal Gear Acid-Trip

I dug this video up from the depths of Gametrailers.com, back when I was fairly active on the site. I had dabbled in some video editing, and mixed sound files from the Metal Gear Solid PC demo with this clip from ebaumsworld. Yeah, we're going back here people.

Get More: GameTrailers.com, stavros45 - Snake?! Snaaaaake!, PC Games, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Sadly I haven't done anything else like this, but who knows? Maybe a trip down memory lane is all I need...

D

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Demo Hands-On

A good hour into this demo, and one thought occurred to me:

“Wow, so they finally made Fable good.”

Before I even get into the amount of content in the demo for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, this needs to
be addressed. I’m not even the first to make the comparison, and I’m certainly not the last. Play the demo, leave the first dungeon and start a quest or two in the outer world. You will leave wishing Fables I through III played this good and looked as awesome.

Lost Levels - Sequelitis (plus some Dreamcast stuff)

You may not believe it, but I'm still picking up old games on occasion. Sure these are from almost 4 months ago. And sure, I've had these photos ready for 3 months. That doesn't mean I'm lazy... just busy. Right? Whatever. Games.