Busy Gamer News: March 2009 Archives

Gamewatcher - What's wrong with Dollhouse

Joss directing Eliza

This isn't strictly gaming related. I originally wrote it up as a Facebook note and hoped to link to it from my Twitter, but the note - even though it's marked for everyone - requires a login to view. So I'm posting it here too; if you aren't a Joss Whedon fan, just move along to the next post.

What's wrong with Dollhouse
I've watched three episodes of Joss Whedon's Dollhouse, and each is marginally better than the one before. At the end of the last one, it suddenly dawned on me what was wrong.

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Posted by Gamewatcher on March 2, 2009 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Wii Stuff - GTA: Chinatown video, Family & Friends Party, Ogre Battle and Stevie Ray

Here's what's new on the Wii this week:

WiiWare: Family & Friends Party ($10)
Virtual Console: Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen for Super NES ($8)
Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each; due Tuesday, March 3) "New" by No Doubt, "Futures," "Lucky Denver Mint" and "Sweetness" by Jimmy Eat World (no pack discount) and all of the Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble album Texas Flood (no full album discount) with "Love Struck Baby," "Pride and Joy," "Texas Flood," "Tell Me," "Rude Mood," "Testify," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Dirty Pool," "I'm Cryin" and "Lenny"
DS Demos: All repeats including Avalon Code and MLB 2K9 Fantasy All-Stars
Game Videos: Deadly Creatures, Family & Friends Party, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, House of the Dead: Overkill, MadWorld Sports, Mario Power Tennis, MySims Party, Pikmin, Sonic and the Black Knight, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Trivial Pursuit

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 2, 2009 8:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

First Look - Dead Rising: Is it DOA on Wii?

Zombie-loathing mall rats get a second chance to take back Forever 21 in Dead Rising: Chop ’Till you Drop. As you’ve no doubt heard, this is anything but a straight Wii port from the Xbox 360. But just how bad is it? Well, put it this way: I might finally find out what happens if the Day 3 apocalypse never happens. Fewer zombies (there are zombies in the game, right? RIGHT?) in the preview videos make it look easier. Plus, zombie dogs! (Poodles, no less…)

On the downside: Looks like my beloved Daikatana doesn’t have quite the same level of Ginsu-crispness I’ve come to expect on the 360, and it takes two buttons to pick stuff up. Of course, when there are only two zombies hanging outside Aeropostal, that probably won’t be much of a problem. I must protest NOT being able to get in the car and joyride, however. Dude, it’s the end of the world as I know it - let me get my GTA on!

On the plus side, I think the only real danger here is dying of boredom. Check out the differences side-by-side:

Posted by GrrlGotGame on March 3, 2009 12:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Whoa! - Microsoft forces New Xbox Experience on game discs

Most would say that, apart from the lag loading local content such as downloaded games thanks to the mandatory advertorials, the Xbox 360 New Xbox Experience (aka Dashboard Overhaul 2008) is an improvement over the original Blades interface. But the Blades UI was pretty cool too, and if you are really attached to it and have been keeping your console off Xbox Live to prevent the update, well, now you'll have to stop buying new games. Starting with HAWX and MLB 2K9, the dashboard patch will reportedly be included on game discs and will force the update when you launch them. This actually sounds a little like the PSP game disc updates, only those system patches were Sony's attempt to foil homebrew and at least they asked before installing...

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 4, 2009 11:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

PlayStation Store - Killzone: Liberation, Watchmen, Prince of Persia Epilogue and Stevie Ray

Here's what is new on the PlayStation Store:

PSP Game: Killzone: Liberation ($16) with 16 single-player missions, two-player coop campaign, six-player multiplayer battles and game sharing
Watchmen: The End is Nigh ($20)
Burnout Paradise Toy Car Collection ($13, or $6 per pack of four or $2 each)
Prince of Persia: Epilogue ($10) with a new region, power, attack and unlockable skins
Street Fighter IV Shoryuken Pack ($4) alternate costumes
Skate 2 Throwback Pack (free) with new gear and gestures
Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Pack 10 (free)
High Velocity Bowling characters ($1 each) Bruce and Carmen
Rock Band/Rock Band 2 song ($2) "New" by No Doubt and Texas Flood album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Double Trouble ($16 or $2 per track) with "Dirty Pool," "I’m Cryin," "Lenny," "Love Struck Baby," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Pride and Joy," "Rude Mood," "Tell Me," "Testify" and "Texas Flood"
Guitar Hero World Tour European Track Pack 03 ($5.50, or $2 per track) with "C’est Comme Ca" by Les Rita Mitsouko, "In the Shadows" by The Rasmus and "Break It Out" by Vanilla Sky
Demos: Age of Booty, Watchmen: The End is Nigh and Wanted: Weapons of Fate
Game Videos: HAWX, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, Sonic’s Ultimate Genesis Collection and Watchmen: The End is Nigh
PS3 Themes: MLB 09 The Show (free) and Bunnies Pinups ($1)
PSP Themes: MLB 09 The Show (free), Bunnies Pinups ($1 each) and Metal Battalion Maidens ($1 each)
PSP Wallpaper: Killzone: Liberation(free)
Movie Trailers: Breaking Bad, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun Li and Watchmen

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 5, 2009 9:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Xbox Live Marketplace - Chronicles of Riddick demo, Watchmen game and Stevie Ray

Here's what you'll find if you dig around in Xbox Live Marketplace this week:

Arcade: Watchmen: The End is Nigh ($20), Merv Griffin's Crosswords Puzzle Pack 1 ($1.88) and 2008 Xbox Live Arcade Awards (free; look in Demos section)
Burnout Paradise Toy Car Collection ($13, or $6 per pack of four or $2 each)
Prince of Persia: Epilogue ($10) with a new region, power, attack and unlockable skins
Street Fighter IV Shoryuken Pack ($4) alternate costumes
Skate 2 Throwback Pack (free) with new gear and gestures
Rock Band/Rock Band 2 song ($2) "New" by No Doubt and Texas Flood album by Stevie Ray Vaughan and the Double Trouble ($16 or $2 per track) with "Dirty Pool," "I’m Cryin," "Lenny," "Love Struck Baby," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," "Pride and Joy," "Rude Mood," "Tell Me," "Testify" and "Texas Flood"
Guitar Hero World Tour European Track Pack 03 ($5.50, or $2 per track) with "C’est Comme Ca" by Les Rita Mitsouko, "In the Shadows" by The Rasmus and "Break It Out" by Vanilla Sky
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 covers ($1.50 each) "Black Velvet" "Breakaway" "Brick House" "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" "These Words (I Love You, I Love You)" "Toxic" "Waiting For A Girl Like You"
Demos: The Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena, Wanted: Weapons of Fate, Wheelman and WWE Legends of WrestleMania
Game Videos: Halo Wars, Midnight Club: Los Angeles, MLB 2K9, Prince of Persia: Epilogue, Skate 2 and Watchmen: The End Is Nigh
Community Games ($2.50-$10 each): Alchemist, DoubleVision, Easy Golf, Jackpot Stadium, Kittie's Mazes, Mithra - Episode 1 Chapter 1, Neon Paddles, Pegzo, Tanks.V.S, TWP Spine of the World, Welcome To Mexico, Zoomaroom and ZP2K9
Themes: Halo Wars Premium ($3.13; limited time availability)
Pictures: Halo Wars (free; enters you in sweepstakes)

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 5, 2009 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Free Stuff Friday - Guitar Hero vs. Rock Band battle - with hats!

It is on. The challenge has been issued: Which is more popular, Guitar Hero or Rock Band - as measured by the willingness of its fans to enter to win a free hat.

Or, put another way, which cap would you rather be seen in? Do you jam with Hendrix and Tool, or prefer a little AC/DC and Guns N’ Roses with the promise of The Beatles?

It is time. You must choose. It's Harmonix vs. RedOctane in a head-to-head battle for... headgear.

Here's how to enter:

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Posted by Gamewatcher on March 6, 2009 12:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)

Free Stuff Friday Bonus - Instant Win: Original Xbox 'Duke' controller

A few months back, we gave away four original Xbox "Duke" controllers (NOT compatible with Xbox 360). There were about 50 entries, and we dutifully shipped out the prizes to the winners. One of the controllers came back as undeliverable - so far, the only time this has ever happened. If you read the rules, we state that if this occurs, the prize may be recycled for a future giveaway.

So we're going to try something new, a bonus for those who are vigilant and/or lucky. We'll ship it out to the first qualified person who posts a comment. The usual rules apply, except that there is no random drawing. We might do some more of these from time to time in addition to the regular weekly drawings.

To enter:

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Posted by Gamewatcher on March 6, 2009 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Wii Stuff - Gradius ReBirth, Alex Kidd, Metallica and TrackMania DS demo

Here's what is new on the Wii Store, Rock Band store and Nintendo (Marketing) Channel this week:

WiiWare: Gradius ReBirth ($10)
Virtual Console: Alex Kidd: The Lost Stars for Sega Master System ($5)
Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each; due Tuesday, March 10) "Moonage Daydream" by David Bowie, "People Got a Lotta Nerve" by Neko Case, "Train in Vain" by The Clash, "Satellite Radio" by Steve Earle, "3 Dimes Down" by Drive By Truckers, "Why Do You Love Me" by Garbage, "Calling Dr. Love" by KISS, "Blackened" and "Ride the Lighting" by Metallica, "Time Bomb" by Old 97s, "My Iron Lung" by Radiohead, "Kool Thing" by Sonic Youth, "Can't Let Go" by Lucinda Williams and "Joker & the Thief" by Wolfmother
DS Demos: TrackMania DS plus repeats including Avalon Code and MLB 2K9
Game Videos: Avalon Code, Gradius ReBirth, House of the Dead: Overkill, Littlest Pet Shop, MadWorld, Marble Saga: Kororinpa, Pokemon Platinum, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009, Professor Layton and the Curious Village, Sands of Destruction, Scrabble, Sonic and the Black Knight, Suikoden: Tierkreis, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and World of Goo

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 9, 2009 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Patch This Game - Killzone 2

Killzone 2 has been patched to improve stability, tweak controller input, remove shotgun auto-lock and fix problems with ignore lists, the Front Runner medal and other bugs...

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 10, 2009 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

PC Gamer - Gaming computers: to build or not to build?

Introducing a new voice on Busy Gamer News! Travis (aka PC Gamer) is our former game company colleague, an artist and aspiring game designer. He plays games on a variety of systems, but recently rediscovered his love for PC gaming when he built himself a new gaming rig.

I was recently in the market for a new gaming computer. My old one was archaic. It was an AMD 2500, top of the line back in 2001 - it even had a 128MB video card. But it was clearly time to upgrade.

When I first started digging into what I wanted for a computer, I had three requirements:

My homemade gaming rig

One, massive storage space. I am going to school for game design and some of the models and textures that go into games are fairly large in size. So I was looking at having around 2TB of hard drive space to make sure I never run into a space issue.

Two, a quad core processor. Whether to go AMD or Intel is always up for debate, but my luck has always been with AMD so I tend to stick with it.

And three, a high end graphics cards. Again this can be blamed on my game design stuff (at least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it). Some of the programs I use are video card hogs, so at the bare minimum I was looking at a 1GB video card.

About six months ago I went online to check the price of computers that met my requirements, in case if I decided to go the buying route rather than making my own custom computer. At the time Apple was looking to charge pretty close to $20,000 for the computer with the specs I was looking for. Alienware was only a little better: about $16,000.

I decided to investigate how much it would cost for parts to decide whether it was worth me spending the time to build the computer I wanted myself.

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Posted by Gamewatcher on March 10, 2009 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Audiophile - Big Bang Mini soundtrack

Fans of Big Bang Mini on the Nintendo DS will be thrilled to download the soundtrack for free (just clck the US flag, then Downloads and then Soundtrack)...

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 11, 2009 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

iPhone App Watch - Are you ready for some eBooks?

Once upon a time, I was a big reader. Bookworm, really. But since having a kid, I haven't read more than four books a year - and least year I finished none. And I'm in a home surrounded by tomes - honestly, we could start a lending library.

When I first learned of the Kindle, I was curious but discounted it immediately. No backlight. I like to read in bed after GrrlGotGame has gone to sleep (though for the past several years I've mostly been using my Nintendo DS to wear out my brain after lights out), so this was a showstopper. Same with the Kindle 2, though now they've made it easier to attach a book lamp to front light the device.

Two things happened recently to get me to try eBooks:

I made an impulse buy of the Twilight series at Costco and, after getting hooked and finishing the first two books, I found them available for the iPhone.

CLICK IMAGES FOR MORE DETAIL

Eclipse on Iceberg Reader	Breaking Dawn on Kindle for iPhone

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Posted by Gamewatcher on March 11, 2009 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

PlayStation Store - Resistance: Retribution demo, Hot Shots Golf Sackboy, Rise Against and Red Baron

Here's what is new at the PlayStation Store this week:

Astro Tripper ($5)
Red Baron Arcade ($10)
BUZZ! Junior: Jungle Party ($5)
BUZZ! Quiz TV National Geographic: Prehistoric Pack ($8)
Hot Shots Golf: Out Of Bounds Playable Sackboy ($2)
Burnout Paradise Boost Specials Collection ($8 or $5 each) with Carson Extreme Hot Rod and Paradise Hawker Mech
Street Fighter IV Shadaloo Pack ($4)
Guitar Hero World Tour Rise Against Track Pack ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Audience of One," "Death Blossoms" and "Ready to Fall"
Rock Band/Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each) "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M., "All I Want" and "The Kids Aren't Alright" by The Offspring and "Way That it Shows" by Richard Thompson
PSP Games: Mercury Meltdown UMD Legacy ($10) and Arthur Maclean’s Mercury (now $6)
Demos: The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, Red Baron Arcade, Wheelman and WWE Legends of Wrestlemania, plus Resistance: Retribution for PSP
Game Videos: F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, FIFA 09 Ultimate Team, Flower, HAWX, Rag Doll Kung Fu, plus Pulse and the $3 Qore Episode 10
Themes: MLB 09 The Show (free) plus various college themes ($2 each)
Movie Trailer: Australia

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 12, 2009 8:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Xbox Live Marketplace - Peggle, Call of Duty: World at War demo, March Madness and Resident Evil 5 contest pic

Here's what appeared this week in Xbox Live Marketplace:

Arcade: Peggle ($10; mini review), Crystal Defenders ($10) and NCAA Basketball March Madness Edition ($15), plus The Maw River Redirect expansion ($1.25)
Tomb Raider: Underworld Designer Costume Pack (free) and Lara's Shadow expansion ($10)
Trivial Pursuit Movie Pack (free)
Burnout Paradise Boost Specials Collection ($8 or $5 each) with Carson Extreme Hot Rod and Paradise Hawker Mech
Street Fighter IV Shadaloo Pack ($4)
Sonic Unleashed Chun-nan Adventure Pack ($3.13) with four stages and two missions playable after Chun-nan is unlocked
Guitar Hero World Tour Rise Against Track Pack ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Audience of One," "Death Blossoms" and "Ready to Fall"
Rock Band/Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each) "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M., "All I Want" and "The Kids Aren't Alright" by The Offspring and "Way That it Shows" by Richard Thompson
Lips tracks ($2 each) "Lips Of An Angel" by Hinder, "Shake It" by Metro Station and "Hook Me Up" by The Veronicas
Community Games ($2.50-$10 each): Matchem, No Frills Cross Sums, Philip Muwanga's Hexy Trench, Slam and ZenHak
Demo: Call of Duty: World at War
Game Videos: Crystal Defenders and HAWX
Themes: Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard ($2), Hasbro Family Game Night ($3.13) and Peggle Premium ($3.13) plus Adidas (free), Family Guy ($1.88) and Fast & Furious (free)
Pictures: Peggle ($1.25), Resident Evil 5 (free; enters you in sweepstakes) and Street Fighter IV ($1.25) plus Adidas (free)

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 12, 2009 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Free Stuff Friday - Dead or Alive Xtreme 2

Before you write off Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 off as a cheesecake simulator for guys who lack girlfriends, take a look at the evidence to the contrary:

It's got a pretty awesome jet ski game in it
Volleyball is tough but fun
At its heart, it's a dating sim - only your goal is to win skimpy bikinis from your girlfriends and your island host, Zack
There are several mini-games, including the butt bump contest and a seriously tough water slide
It's one of the hardest 360 games to get an achievement (expect to invest 20 hours before you see one!)
You can play casino games as a diversion, or to unlock sexy pole dance clips

Sound like fun? Actually, it is if you can get past the gravity-defying chest physics. Let's just say that it's clear that at least some of the game's developers never had a girlfriend.

Here's how to enter:

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Posted by Gamewatcher on March 13, 2009 12:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (84)

First Look - Resident Evil 5

To be honest, the initial previews for Resident Evil 5 didn't overwhelm us. But its predecessor on the PS2 and Wii was so amazing (BEST. GAME. EVER.) that we didn't hesitate to try the demo.

I'm normally a single-player enthusiast, but GrrlGotGame and I dove straight into co-op and haven't looked back. It's not particularly innovative, and there are some major annoyances, but the game still grabbed us and so far hasn't let go.

The game neatly skirts the controversy of having a white protagonist assassinating mostly black enemies by pairing him with an attractive black partner and driving home from the start how the zombie-like monsters are created. In the end, the controvery was for naught: Zombies are zombies, and that's clearly what we have here.

If you play solo, you will still have a partner - though she'll be controlled by the AI. I haven't tested this yet, but reports suggest it is very hit and miss. If you can find a local partner, you'll play with a horizontal, staggered split screen that actually takes very little time to adjust to (though you will want a large-screen TV!). You can also play co-op online or via LAN if you have friends with their own copies of the game. It is nice having your partner nearby so you can shout at them when you get in trouble. Which you will.

The game plays much like RE4, for better or for worse.

Continue reading "First Look - Resident Evil 5" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 16, 2009 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Wii Stuff - Bit.Trip Beat, Summer Games II, Monsters vs. Aliens demo and Chinatown Wars video

Here's what you'll find new this week on the Wii, divided between Wii Shop and the Nintendo (Marketing) Channel:

WiiWare: Bit.Trip Beat ($6)
Virtual Console: Summer Games II for Commodore 64 ($5)
DS Demos: Monsters vs. Aliens and several repeats including Avalon Code and TrackMania DS
Game Videos: Bit.Trip Beat, Dance Dance Revolution Disney Grooves, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, House of the Dead: Overkill, Major Minor's Majestic March, Rune Factory: Frontier, Sonic and the Black Knight, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Wii Music

This week's Rock Band 2 tracks for Wii were finally announced:

Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each; due Tuesday, March 17) "Thrash Unreal" by Against Me!, "Pick Up the Pieces" by Average White Band, "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine - Pt 1" by James Brown, "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire, "All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth" and "Use It" by The New Pornographers, "Last Resort" and "Lifeline" by Papa Roach and live tracks "My Generation," "Summertime Blues" and "Young Man Blues" by The Who

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 16, 2009 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

GrrlGotGame - New weapon suggestions for Dead Rising 2

With the release of Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop and the promise of a full-blown sequel in 2010, here are some weapons I'd like to see in the next go 'round:

Mall Cop Segway: They gave us shopping carts and cars (well, in the Xbox 360 version, anyway) – think of the fun you'll have mowing down the undead on a Segway! Assuming you can balance on the damn thing. Bonus points if you let me leave me one hand free to take out my trusty Daikatana and lay waste to whatever gets in my way.
"Small" Popcorn Tub: Today's small is what we used to think of as "family-sized"--as in a family of 20 or so could share this tub and have leftovers. Why not build on the first game's plop-the-mask-on-the-zombie game and let us go to town with popcorn tubs? Better yet, let me fill it with hot faux butter oil before bucketing my prey. Could also be fun with some of the maniacs, if you can get that close. I smell achievement!
Forever 21 Sales Clerk: They're tall. They're skinny. They wear pointy shoes. Why not just pick them up and go to town? It'll be like having a sword that squeals. And once they get tired of being swung around, we can just set them down and let them talk about Britney until the undead surrender or explode.
Going Out of Business Sign: Let's face it--zombies don't have much use for an economic stimulus package or tax refund. Those going-out-of-business signs are going to be everywhere. They might not do a ton of damage, but they could at least get a good paper cut going. And just how strong is zombie flesh, anyway? Let's find out.
Wiimotes: If they can kill a television set, they can take out the damned! Make it so.

Your move, Konami.

Posted by GrrlGotGame on March 17, 2009 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Free Stuff Bonus - Instant Win: Gears of War bracelet

Who says jewelry isn't manly? This tough-as-nails Gears of War bracelet would like to have a word with your preconceptions about fashion accessories!

This giveaway is a bonus for those busy gamers who are vigilant and/or lucky. We'll ship it out to the first qualified person who posts a comment. The usual rules apply, except that there is no random drawing. We might do more of these from time to time in addition to the regular weekly drawings - you never know when we might post another.

To enter:

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Posted by Gamewatcher on March 18, 2009 9:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Gamewatcher - Is Hasbro Family Game Night for Xbox 360 a ripoff?

I've been looking forward to the release of Hasbro Family Game Night. You see, my 6-year-old simply loves Connect 4. And he recently discovered the joys of Yahtzee which, as we all know, is the gateway drug to poker and gambling. True story: Last night while playing his mom, he asked if we could "make this more interesting" by playing Connect 4 for money!

Seems like EA had the same idea. The rampant expectation was that Family Game Night on Xbox Live Arcade would include all seven promised games for $15, maybe a budget-busting $20 at the most. So imagine our surprise and disappointment when the game was released for $10 per game, with only the first four games (Connect 4, Yahtzee, Battleship and Scrabble) available at launch.

The way it works is you download a free Family Game Night wrapper app and then purchase each game as a separate add-on. You can still get trial versions, as with every Arcade title, so at least you do have the choice to try before you buy.

On the one hand, you can't compare these directly to the board games since there are extra modes and rulesets that change the game dynamic - sort of like the "remixes" of classic arcade games we've started seeing these past few years. But you CAN compare these to retail versions of the same title.

Continue reading "Gamewatcher - Is Hasbro Family Game Night for Xbox 360 a ripoff?" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 18, 2009 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Last Chance - Enter for Dead or Alive Xtreme 2

The cut off for entries to win Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 is 5:01 p.m. Pacific Time on Thursday, March 19 - so there's still a little time.

The entries themselves are fun to read - the count is 76 at this writing, which means there is a lot of untapped interest in a jetski/volleyball/dating sim/casino gaming/water sliding/bikini trading/butt battling title. If that's what you're into, this is your last call.

Comments are disabled on this post. If you want to enter, post your comment here.

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 18, 2009 11:01 PM | Permalink

PlayStation Store - Unreal Tournament 3 Titan Pack, World at War zombies and Killzone Sackboy

Sony announced a worthwhile sale on Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty ($10) and these other new downloads including some noteworthy freebies:

Unreal Tournament 3 Titan Pack (free) with 16 environments, two playable characters, two game modes, plus vehicles and weapons
Midnight Club: Los Angeles South Central Map Expansion (free) and Premium Upgrade ($10) with 2008 Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG, 2008 Audi S5 and 2009 Mitsubishi Eclipse GT
NCAA Basketball 09 Bracket Pack (free)
High Velocity Bowling Jill's Totally Straight Trick Shot Pack (free)
Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1 ($10) with four maps and Nazi zombies!
LittleBigPlanet Killzone Mini-Pack ($3)
Wheel of Fortune ($15)
Pain Smack Pack ($3) with new Darts and Fortress modes
Street Fighter IV Classic Pack ($4)
Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Get the Funk Out Pack 01 ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Pick Up the Pieces" by Average White Band, "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex machine - Pt. 1" by James Brown and "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire and tracks ($2 each) "Last Resort" and "Lifeline" by Papa Roach, "All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth" and "Use It" by The New Pornographers and "Thrash Unreal" by Against Me!
Guitar Hero World Tour Jimi Hendrix Track Pack 02 ($5.50) with "Foxey Lady (Live from Woodstock)," "Freedom," and "Angel" and European Track Pack 04 ($5.50 or $2 each) with "What Have You Done" by Within Temptation (feat. Keith Caputo), "Hier kommt Alex" by Die Toten Hosen and "Carolina" by M-Clan
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 cover tracks ($1.50 each) "Black Velvet,""Brick House ," "Call Me," "Hemorrhage (In My Hands) ," "More Than A Feeling ," "Rio ," "Saving All My Love For You," "Smooth Criminal," "Stickwitu ," "Tainted Love," "These Words (I Love You, I Love You)," "Toxic ," "Unchained Melody," "Unforgettable," "Waiting For A Girl Like You," "What I Like About You," "You Can't Hurry Love" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling"
PSP: Luxor Pharaoh's Challenge UMD Legacy ($10) and Prinny: Can I Really be the Hero? Marona of Phantom Isle ($4)
Demos: FIFA 09 Ultimate Team and Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition
Game Videos: F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin, inFamous, Monsters vs. Aliens, Patapon 2 , Red Alert 3: Ultimate Edition, Red Faction: Guerrilla, Resistance: Retribution, Unreal Tournament 3 Titan Pack and Wheel of Fortune
Themes: FIFA 09 Ultimate Team, MLB 09 The Show and Wheel of Fortune (free) plus Azmodeus Dark Angels ($1)

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 19, 2009 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Xbox Live Marketplace - World at War zombies, NCAA Basketball brackets and Ninja Blade demo

To add insult to injury, this week's relatively weak week for Xbox Live Marketplace was marred when the Xbox Live billing system went down for the better part of Thursday, taking down Xbox.com sign-in along with the ability to add points to your account. The good news is that everything is back now, so if you're inclined you can boost your account to buy any or all of these additions:

Arcade: Hasbro Family Game Night ($10-40; details and diatribe) with Battleship, Connect 4, Scrabble and Yahtzee plus four free game room themes
NCAA Basketball 09and NCAA Basketball 09 March Madness Edition Bracket Pack (free)
Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1 ($10) with four maps and Nazi zombies!
Street Fighter IV Classic Pack ($4)
Rock Band/Rock Band 2 Get the Funk Out Pack 01 ($5.50 or $2 each) with "Pick Up the Pieces" by Average White Band, "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex machine - Pt. 1" by James Brown and "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind & Fire and tracks ($2 each) "Last Resort" and "Lifeline" by Papa Roach, "All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth" and "Use It" by The New Pornographers and "Thrash Unreal" by Against Me!
Guitar Hero World Tour Jimi Hendrix Track Pack 02 ($5.50) with "Foxey Lady (Live from Woodstock)," "Freedom," and "Angel" and European Track Pack 04 ($5.50 or $2 each) with "What Have You Done" by Within Temptation (feat. Keith Caputo), "Hier kommt Alex" by Die Toten Hosen and "Carolina" by M-Clan
Demos: FIFA 09 Ultimate Team and Ninja Blade
Game Videos: Fallout 3 The Pitt, Call of Duty: World at War Map Pack 1, FIFA 09 Ultimate Team, Hasbro Family Game Night, Lost Planet 2, Red Faction: Guerrilla, Tomb Raider: Underworld and Wanted: Weapons of Fate
Themes: EndWar ($1.88), FIFA 09 Ultimate Team ($3.13) and Wanted: Weapons of Fate ($1.88)
Pictures: Call of Duty: World at War (free; enters you in sweepstakles), EndWar ($2), Wanted: Weapons of Fate ($0.75), South Park ($1.25 each) and See It Before It's Gone (free; enters you in sweepstakles)

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 19, 2009 9:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Free Stuff Friday - Resident Evil calendar and history book

To honor the release of Resident Evil 5 (first look), this week's Free Stuff Friday delivers not one but two hard-to-find mementos. The first is the Resident Evil 5 calendar (March 2009 through February 2010) that is included with the collector's edition strategy guide. Since our office is our home, we don't have anywhere to display it where our 6-year-old wouldn't be freaked out by the violent and horrifying images. Otherwise, we'd totally keep it.

As a bonus, we're offering up an even rarer History of Resident Evil book that came with British import X360 magazine.

So two great prizes for one lucky winner. Will it be you?

Here's how to enter:

Continue reading "Free Stuff Friday - Resident Evil calendar and history book" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 20, 2009 12:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (90)

Wii Stuff - Bomberman '94, Club Nintendo video and lots of The Who for Rock Band 2

This week's Wii downloads includes some classic games and music tracks but alas no Pearl Jam "Ten" album songs for Rock Band 2 (unlike the Xbox 360 and PS3 releases due later this week):

WiiWare: Pop 'Em Drop 'Em Samegame ($5)
Virtual Console: Bomberman '94 for TurboGrafx16 ($7) and Detana Twin Bee for TurboGrafx16 ($7)
Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each; due Tuesday, March 24) "All I Want" and "The Kids Aren't Alright" by The Offspring, "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M., "The Way That It Shows" by Richard Thompson and "Amazing Journey," "Behind Blue Eyes," "Eminence Front," "Going Mobile," "Leaving Here," "Real Good Looking Boy," "Sea and Sand" and "Who Are You" by The Who
DS Demos: All repeats including Monsters vs. Aliens, Avalon Code, Personal Trainer: Math and TrackMania DS
Game Videos: Bit.Trip Beat, EA Sports Active, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, Gardening Mama, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, Imagine Family Doctor, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Lux-Pain, MadWorld, Pokemon Platinum, Pop 'Em Drop 'Em Samegame, Punch-Out!!, Virtua Tennis 2009, Wii Music and Club Nintendo

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 23, 2009 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Facebook Game Watch - Mouse Hunt

There's a new trend in gaming that is great news for busy gamers: Games you don't have to actively play to play. There are variants for wannabe mafiasos, vampires but the one I'm hooked on puts you in the boots of a fantasy mousehunter. Yeah, I know how this sounds. Honestly, I'm just as surprised as you are.

Mouse Hunt on Facebook starts out slow, so much so that they recently added this note when you begin so that you're sure to realize the hidden depths: "I will need my senses to be sharp, for I have heard tales of all sorts of villainous mice plaguing the Kingdom. Horrible abominations like pirates, ninjas, zombies and poisonous black widows lurk in all corners."

Which is good to know going in. Because at first, all you can afford is a basic, ineffective trap with something blah like tacky glue and some cheddar to entice a handful of basic mice. You will notice a few things right away: The mice you catch give you points and gold and, sometimes when you're lucky, other things like free cheese, items for crafting and maps that unlock new places. In very rare cases, they may offer real world cash or merchandise (particularly during special holiday hunting periods).

Mouse Hunt game screen - click to enlarge

Once you sound the hunter's horn to get things going, you really don't need to hang around. It's a great game if you're active on Facebook, since you can post notes, comment on friends' posts, take quizzes, etc. while wait for the horn to be offered again. And you don't really need to come back to the game more than once a day: The game periodically checks your trap and updates your journal with any results (though repeat visits will increase your daily activity). So return at least once daily and the hunt will continue.

Continue reading "Facebook Game Watch - Mouse Hunt" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 24, 2009 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Wii Update - Run Wii games and channels from SD cards

As expected, Nintendo has overcome Wii's lack of massive storage for downloadable WiiWare and Virtual Console games and channels with a Wii Menu update that lets you run them from an SD card. The system supports 32GB cards now, so with this update you can store and launch up to 240 games per card. That should satisfy most gamers' appetite for downloadable games.

But just in case Nintendo also just launched a new Wii Shop area called Virtual Console Arcade, a place to find arcade classics ported for purchase and download. The first titles, now available, are:

Gaplus ($6)
Mappy ($5)
Starforce ($5)
The Tower of Druaga ($5)

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 25, 2009 12:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Free Stuff Bonus - Instant Win: Constantine

Movie tie-in games aren't usually great, and Constantine is no exception to that rule. But if you've ever wanted to play as Keanu Reeves and battle demons with holy weapons ("Whoa!"), this prize is for you. There's lots of run-and-gun action and the occasional puzzle to solve. And, hey, it's free! Duuude.

This giveaway is a bonus for those busy gamers who are vigilant and/or lucky. We'll ship it out to the first qualified person who posts a comment. The usual rules apply, except that there is no random drawing. We might do more of these from time to time in addition to the regular weekly drawings - you never know when we might post another. (Follow me on Twitter if you want a head's up before we post Instant Win opportunities.)

To enter:

Continue reading "Free Stuff Bonus - Instant Win: Constantine" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 26, 2009 12:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

PlayStation Store - Worms, Burn Zombie Burn, Resistance 2 maps and Ten by Pearl Jam

Here's what's new at the PlayStation Store this week:

Burn Zombie Burn ($10)
Worms ($13)
EndWar Veteran Map Pack (free)
Resistance 2 Aftermath Map Pack ($6) with two multiplayer maps and multiplayer skins ($1 each or $4 for all six)
LittleBigPlanet BUZZ! Mini-Pack ($2) with costume and stickers from the quiz show game
Pain El Chile Grande ($1) character
Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice Item World Command Attack Mode ($4) and Absence of Justice Defender of Earth characters ($2 each)
Guitar Hero World Tour Queen Track Pack ($5.50, or $2 each) with "C-Lebrity," "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "We Are The Champions" and track ($2) "The James Bond Theme" by Richard Fortus
Rock Band/Rock Band 2 tracks Pearl Jam Ten album ($18, or $2 per track) with "Once," "Even Flow," "Why Go," "Black," "Jeremy," "Oceans," "Porch," "Garden," "Deep," "Release" and "Master/Slave" (no vocals) - note, if you want "Alive" to complete the album you'll need Rock Band 2. In addition, there's a code for three free playable bonus tracks if you buy one of the pricier album re-issue sets from Best Buy ($27 to $125): "Alive (live)," "Brother" and "State of Love and Trust"
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore 2 cover tracks ($1.50 each) "(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life," "Dance, Dance," "I Love Rock N Roll," "Irresistible," "My Immortal," "Put Your Records On," "Spoonman," "Sweet Caroline," "The Joker and the Thief," "The Spirit of Radio" and "Youth Gone Wild"
PSP Game: Platypus ($10)
Demo: Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce for PSP
Game Videos: F.E.A.R. 2 and Pulse magazine
Themes: Pain and MLB teams (free), Disgaea 3 ($1) and Arctic Penguins, Celtic Maidens, Chinese Fighting Dragons and Gamer Girlz ($1.50 each)
Wallpaper: EndWar and Rag Doll Kung Fu: Fists of Plastic
Movie Trailers: Seven Pounds and Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 26, 2009 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Xbox Live Marketplace - Fallout 3's The Pitt, Guitar Hero Metallica demo and Ten by Pearl Jam

The big news on Xbox Live Marketplace was the corrupted release of The Pitt expansion for Fallout 3. After gamers complained of graphical glitches and other problems, the download was pulled, fixed and re-issued a day later. Here's what is new this week:

Arcade: Uno Rush ($10) and Meteos Wars Galaxy Pack ($4.38)
Fallout 3 The Pitt expansion ($10)
Sonic Unleashed Spagonia Adventure Pack ($3.13) with four day and two night levels, once you've unlocked Spagonia
Guitar Hero World Tour Queen Track Pack ($5.50, or $2 each) with "C-Lebrity," "Fat Bottomed Girls" and "We Are The Champions" and track ($2) "The James Bond Theme" by Richard Fortus
Rock Band/Rock Band 2 tracks Pearl Jam Ten album ($18, or $2 per track) with "Once," "Even Flow," "Why Go," "Black," "Jeremy," "Oceans," "Porch," "Garden," "Deep," "Release" and "Master/Slave" (no vocals) - note, if you want "Alive" to complete the album you'll need Rock Band 2. In addition, there's a code for three free playable bonus tracks if you buy one of the pricier album re-issue sets from Best Buy ($27 to $125): "Alive (live)," "Brother" and "State of Love and Trust"
Lips tracks ($2 each) "Down On The Corner" by Clearwater Revival, "Won't Go Home Without You" by Maroon 5 and "Reunited" by Peaches & Herb
Demo: Guitar Hero Metallica
Community Games ($2.50-$10 each): Battle Havoc, Calculator360, Clock 24-7, Dromedary, The Exterminator, A Fading Melody, Go Go UFO Smackdown, Little Racers, Solar and Supercow
Game Videos: Battlestations: Pacific, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 , Call of Duty: World at War, Need for Speed Shift, R.U.S.E., Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection, Stormrise and Wanted: Weapons of Fate
Themes: Call of Duty: World at War ($3.13 each), Uno Rush ($3.13) and Konsole Kingz ($1.88)
Pictures: Konsole Kingz ($1.25)

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 26, 2009 8:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Free Stuff Friday - Blue Dragon

Blue Dragon is possibly the coolest RPG on the Xbox 360, if you're into that sort of thing. You control a group of kids on a quest to defeat a "land shark" that devastated their village. Along the way, they collect shadow guardians that help them develop their battle skills, healing powers and magic. There are elements of anime and steampunk woven through the oddly compelling narrative, and the addictive mix of turn-based combat and exploration are an antidote to any troubles of the day.

Blue Dragon is so massive, it takes three game discs and somewhere between 60 and 100 hours to complete. Oh, and did I mention there are "poo snakes"? Lots of 'em, different varieties including the Golden Poo Snake, Pungent Poo Snake and King Poo. Really. I'm am NOT making this up.

OK, so it's not for everyone. But the gamer who enjoys this style of story and gameplay and is lucky enough to win will find the something to look forward to every day for the next several weeks or even months.

Here's how to enter:

Continue reading "Free Stuff Friday - Blue Dragon" »

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 27, 2009 12:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (122)

Wii Stuff - New Zelda DS video, plus Gardening Mama and Rhythm Heaven DS demos

The big Wii news so far this week is the new The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks video, which showcases a new train transit system and seemingly improved DS combat. Here's what's new this week on Wii Shop and the Nintendo (Marketing) Channel:

WiiWare: Bonsai Barber ($10)
Virtual Console: Super Punch-Out!! for Super NES ($8)
Rock Band 2 tracks ($2 each, due Tuesday, March 31) Ten album by Pearl Jam with "Once," "Even Flow," "Why Go," "Black," "Jeremy," "Oceans," "Porch," "Garden," "Deep," "Release" and "Master/Slave" (no vocals) - alas, still no album pricing so this will run you $22 vs. $18 on the other consoles. Plus, “Through Being Cool” by Devo, “We Care A Lot” by Faith No More and “I Don’t Care” by Fall Out Boy
DS Demos: Gardening Mama and Rhythm Heaven, plus several repeats including Monsters vs. Aliens
Game Videos: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, The Conduit, Don King Boxing, Bonsai Barber, Go Play Lumberjacks, Guitar Hero Metallica, Rhythm Heaven, Tokyo Beatdown and a preview of the Virtual Console Arcade

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 30, 2009 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Stupid Marketing Tricks - Why is PopCap Arcade Hits Vol. 2 suddenly an Amazon exclusive?

If you were thinking (like we were) that Peggle is too good a game to lock to a single console for offline play (which is what happens when you buy via Xbox Live Marketplace), you'd be thrilled to learn that it's part of the just-released PopCap Arcade Hits Vol. 2 - a $20 collection that contains Peggle, Feeding Frenzy 2 and Heavy Weapon. So you get three great games for the price of two, and no pesky DRM.

Except that the game, which supposedly came out last week, seems to have disappeared from all retailers databases except Amazon.com, which describes it as "In Stock." Gamestop reports they have a listing for used games only, which seems to confirm the Amazon exclusive theory. So why aren't retailers carrying this title and, if it is an online exclusive, why isn't Amazon even trumpeting this fact?

I suspect it was never intended to be an exclusive. Perhaps Microsoft was afraid the retail version would kill digital sales and asked for a delay and/or limited release? We may never know. All I know is that I waited an extra two weeks for Peggle on my console, and now I have to wait one more. At least I have Peggle Dual Shot for the DS and the PC versions (including some new, free Peggle Nights spring-themed bonus levels) to tide me over...

Posted by Gamewatcher on March 31, 2009 1:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Busy Gamer News

News, reviews and advocacy for gamers who have a life.

March 2009 Archives

March 2, 2009

Gamewatcher - What's wrong with Dollhouse

Wii Stuff - GTA: Chinatown video, Family & Friends Party, Ogre Battle and Stevie Ray

March 3, 2009

First Look - Dead Rising: Is it DOA on Wii?

March 4, 2009

Whoa! - Microsoft forces New Xbox Experience on game discs

March 5, 2009

PlayStation Store - Killzone: Liberation, Watchmen, Prince of Persia Epilogue and Stevie Ray

Xbox Live Marketplace - Chronicles of Riddick demo, Watchmen game and Stevie Ray

March 6, 2009

Free Stuff Friday - Guitar Hero vs. Rock Band battle - with hats!

Free Stuff Friday Bonus - Instant Win: Original Xbox 'Duke' controller

March 9, 2009

Wii Stuff - Gradius ReBirth, Alex Kidd, Metallica and TrackMania DS demo

March 10, 2009

Patch This Game - Killzone 2

PC Gamer - Gaming computers: to build or not to build?

March 11, 2009

Audiophile - Big Bang Mini soundtrack

iPhone App Watch - Are you ready for some eBooks?

March 12, 2009

PlayStation Store - Resistance: Retribution demo, Hot Shots Golf Sackboy, Rise Against and Red Baron

Xbox Live Marketplace - Peggle, Call of Duty: World at War demo, March Madness and Resident Evil 5 contest pic

March 13, 2009

Free Stuff Friday - Dead or Alive Xtreme 2

March 16, 2009

First Look - Resident Evil 5

Wii Stuff - Bit.Trip Beat, Summer Games II, Monsters vs. Aliens demo and Chinatown Wars video

March 17, 2009

GrrlGotGame - New weapon suggestions for Dead Rising 2

March 18, 2009

Free Stuff Bonus - Instant Win: Gears of War bracelet

Gamewatcher - Is Hasbro Family Game Night for Xbox 360 a ripoff?

Last Chance - Enter for Dead or Alive Xtreme 2

March 19, 2009

PlayStation Store - Unreal Tournament 3 Titan Pack, World at War zombies and Killzone Sackboy

Xbox Live Marketplace - World at War zombies, NCAA Basketball brackets and Ninja Blade demo

March 20, 2009

Free Stuff Friday - Resident Evil calendar and history book

March 23, 2009

Wii Stuff - Bomberman '94, Club Nintendo video and lots of The Who for Rock Band 2

March 24, 2009

Facebook Game Watch - Mouse Hunt

March 25, 2009

Wii Update - Run Wii games and channels from SD cards

March 26, 2009

Free Stuff Bonus - Instant Win: Constantine

PlayStation Store - Worms, Burn Zombie Burn, Resistance 2 maps and Ten by Pearl Jam

Xbox Live Marketplace - Fallout 3's The Pitt, Guitar Hero Metallica demo and Ten by Pearl Jam

March 27, 2009

Free Stuff Friday - Blue Dragon

March 30, 2009

Wii Stuff - New Zelda DS video, plus Gardening Mama and Rhythm Heaven DS demos

March 31, 2009

Stupid Marketing Tricks - Why is PopCap Arcade Hits Vol. 2 suddenly an Amazon exclusive?

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About March 2009