And The Winner Is…..

by GrathiusXR and dkpatriarch

© 2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos and David Hilton

2009 has basically come and gone and this year saw OXCGN.com go places which we never thought we would go in such a short time as a Community Xbox Website. We’ve ranked as low as 60k on the global Alexa ranking system, though we have leveled off at 120k, and pulled off a Google Page Rank of 3/10, both of which are huge tasks for any indie game site, especially one that is just over 2 years old.

2009 saw OXCGN attend E3 ‘09 in L.A., various THQ, Ubisoft, Rockstar, Microsoft and other events all around Sydney and getting to play and see a plethora of new games from the PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DS, PSP, Wii and of course the iPhone.

Over the past week fellow writers have discussed possibilities for OXCGN Game Of The Year and as well as announcing our final choices for GOTY and Runner Up, a few of the staff have given their personal Top 10 list of GOTY contenders.  We have also offered readers a chance to vote on their own personal favourite here.

OXCGN’s GOTY was chosen based on where staff placed certain titles as their Number #1 choice and Runner Up as their 2nd and included all gaming platforms.

So without further ado let us take a look at OXCGN’s Overall Game Of The Year for 2009 as well as look at staff members’ Top 10 GOTY lists for 2009.

OXCGN’s Overall Game Of The Year:

ASSASSIN’S CREED 2 (360/PS3)

While conspiracy theorists from a certain other console will no doubt say we chose this because it was also on the 360, the truth is that we held an open and honest staff discussion with all games from all platforms considered and the clear winner was Assassin’s Creed 2.

AC2 has taken all that was fantastic about the original and fixed most of the negative issues to present a gaming experience that gives the gamer an open-world full of choice, while still following a focused narrative full of betrayals, conspiracies, and conflict.

It has an inspired historical setting, an amazing atmosphere for each real-world location that changes with time of day (or night), and this time has a huge  diversity in gameplay from using courtesans or money to distract guards, to free-running after pickpockets, to assassinating enemies from haystacks or ledges, to RPG-like elements like upgrading weapons, clothes, and even making money from shops in your villa.

This game is something special that appeals to a variety of game players and deserves the Game Of The Year title and we can’t wait to see what Assassin’s Creed 3 brings and where and when it will be set.

RUNNER UP:

UNCHARTED 2 (PS3)

This amazing PS3 exclusive has a tight story with excellent voice acting and humour and lots of action, while taking the gamer on a journey through a great diversity of visually spectacular environments.  The game has great pacing, with areas that involved jumping, climbing and swinging, areas involving puzzles, areas with lots of shooting action, and some fighting from vehicles like trucks and trains.  Like AC2 there was an amazing level of detail (I still love the footprints in the realistic snow).

While Uncharted 2 was many people’s Game Of The Year (including so far our readers on our GOTY poll) it was a primarily linear experience where AC2 offered more choice in mission, open environments, as well as the primary path which was also satisfying (though its dialogue was not as well written as in Uncharted 2).  Uncharted 2 was an extremely enjoyable action Indiana Jones-like romp that all gamers should have been able to enjoy but lacked the layers of gameplay that AC2 provided.

AC2 had to deal with complex game dynamics like crowd interaction and open-world climbing everywhere in-game while Uncharted 2 had few NPCs to worry about and only limited vertical pathways on the environment.  On the other hand, Uncharted 2 has multiplayer and an amazing rendering of distant vistas.

While some still complain about AC2’s fighting style, Uncharted 2’s fairly loose controls and camera in some places were not always helpful.  Still, a very close second.

OXCGN.com Top 10 GOTY Lists:

Shadow Wave’s GOTY List:

1. Uncharted 2 (PS3)
   
2. Resident Evil 5 (360/ PS3/ PC)
   
3. Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (360/iPhone/PC)
   
4. Assassins Creed 2 (360/PC/PS3)
   
5. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360/PC/PS3)
   
6. Brutal Legend (360/PS3)
   
7. Forza Motorsport 3 (360)
   
8. Halo 3: ODST (360)
   
9. Shadow Complex (360)
   
10. Modern Warfare 2 (360/PS3/PC)

As you can see Shadow Wave, who is an avid multiplatform gamer, has a  Top 10 GOTY list of titles that range from multi-platform, to console exclusive and iPhone. His list includes Sony’s dominating Uncharted 2, Infinity Ward’s controversial Modern Warfare 2 and Tim Schafer’s brilliant envisioned Brutal Legend.

There’s no denying some titles on there as expected GOTY material, but certain titles ranking over some of the bigger ones shows that no matter how much hype is behind a certain game it doesn’t mean that everyone will see it the same way.  A good XBLA game in a different genre can be more enjoyable than a AAA high cost production.

GrathiusXR’s GOTY List:

1. Assassins Creed 2 (360/PS3)
   
2. Batman Arkham: Asylum (360)
   
3. Borderlands (360/PS3)
   
4. Red Faction: Guerrilla (360/PS3)
   
5. Halo 3: ODST (360)
   
6. Forza Motorsport 3 (360)
   
7. Modern Warfare 2 (360/PS3/PC)
   
8. Shadow Complex (360)
   
9. Plants vs Zombies (PC)
   
10. Left 4 Dead 2 (360/PC)

GrathiusXR has the disadvantage of not having access to his brother’s PS3 so his Top 10 GOTY  features mainly 360 based games but also a few multiplatforms and PC based titles. It’s interesting to see that his list, as compared to Shadow Wave’s, ranks certain titles higher and also has different ones such as THQ’s “thank god” sequel, and 3rd in the franchise, Red Faction: Guerrilla.

It featured such a destructible environment that was not only fun but made the long wait for the end of year rush all the more sweeter. This Top 10 shows what titles he thought brought something extra to their genre and were at the same time enjoyable and worth purchasing.

TWODOGSz’s GOTY List:

1. Assassins Creed 2 (360/PS3)
   
2. Uncharted 2 (PS3)
   
3. Plants vs Zombies (PC)
   
4. Forza Motorsport 3 (360)
   
5. Borderlands (360/PS3)
   
6. The Beatles: Rock Band (360/PS3)
   
7. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360/PS3)
   
8. Dragon Age: Origins (PC)
   
9. Shadow Complex (360)
   
10. DJ Hero (360/PS3)

TWODOGSz has a list that ranks games which offered him a unique experience over those that impressed him for a few hours and which he never touched again. Noticeable is the PC title Plants vs Zombies, which once released he never stopped talking about. I mean seriously, Plants vs Zombies- you can’t get more simple than that.

Also features is The Beatles: Rock Band which he first saw at E3′09. Yes, he is a fan of the Beatles, but that made the game that much sweeter to play come release.  He has also included an XBLA game, Shadow Complex, which really pushed how involved and visual a ’simple’ Arcade title can be.

Sutton Dagger’s GOTY List:

1. Assassins Creed 2 (360/PS3)
   
2. Uncharted 2 (PS3)
   
3. Borderlands (360/PS3/PC)
   
4. Killzone 2 (PS3)
   
5. Banjo Tooie (XBLA)
   
6. Valkyria Chronicles (PS3)
   
7. New Super Mario Bros. (Wii)
   
8. Halo 3: ODST (360)
   
9. Left 4 Dead 2 (360)
   
10. Tales of Vesperia (360)

Next up is Sutton Dagger who has a GOTY list which represents that certain style of game that he loves to sit back and relax with.

Some good old JRPG’s like Tales of Vesperia and Valkyria Chronicles as well as a classic in the Banjo-Tooie title, which saw itself come back to life on XBLA this year, feature in his list.

With a nice updated HD experience, Banjo brought back some good memories for Sutton back when the N64 housed some of the greatest games to ever have graced our lounge rooms.

AXIS of Reality GOTY List:

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 (360/PS3)
   
2. Uncharted 2 (PS3)
   
3. Batman: Arkham Asylum (360/PS3/PC)
   
4. Modern Warfare 2 (360/PS3/PC)
   
5. Forza Motorsport 3 (360)
   
6. Infamous (PS3)
   
7. New Super Mario Bros Wii (Wii)
   
8. Resident Evil 5 (360/PS3/PC)
   
9. GTA: Chinatown Wars (PSP/DS)
   
10. Left 4 Dead 2 (360/PC)

AXIS of Reality is the only person to list Sony’s inFamous as he saw something special in the game.  inFamous was a great PS3 exclusive gaining great reviews and showing what the PS3 could deliver.

Of course that alongside GTA: Chinatown Wars for the PSP or DS were actually better than what most probably thought they would be.

Other than that it’s the usual suspects in his Top 10 but games that more than deserve to be mentioned for what they have achieved.

dkpatriarch’s GOTY List:

1. Assassin’s Creed 2 (360/PS3)
2. Uncharted 2 (PS3)
3. Flower (PSN)
4. Resident Evil 5 (360/PS3/PC)
5. Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition (360/iPhone/PC)
6. Call of Juarez: Bound In Blood (360/PS3/PC)
7. Resistance: Retribution (PSP)
8. Halo 3: ODST (360)
9. Forza 3 (360)
10. New Super Mario Bros (Wii)

dkpatriarch’s choices reflect his focus on game narrative and interesting game environments, like Assassin’s Creed 2, Uncharted 2 and Call of Juarez, and experiences that often remind him of his gaming past, like Monkey Island (XBLA).

His family gaming is reflected in the innovative Flower (PSN), which his wife and sisters-in-laws have also fallen in love with, and New Super Mario Bros (Wii) and Halo 3: ODST which allow at-home local multiplayer mayhem, something a lot of games in the online age have forgotten.

Throw in some handheld gaming like Resistance: Retribution (PSP) and you can see that dkpatriarch plays what suits his interests rather than what is supposed to currently be popular, shying away from some big games like inFamous, Left4Dead 2 and Prototype.

There you have it: OXCGN’s Overall GOTY

plus our staff’s GOTY Top 10 Lists.

Why not have your say?  OXCGN’s Reader’s GOTY 2009 Poll: Click HERE

We leave you with what has been a great year for gaming and our site with a big thank you to all our readers for visiting, and to the developers and publishers who helped us out this year.

2010 looks to be another massive year for not only the 360, PS3 and Wii but also the PC.  It’s going to be one crazy year and we are all excited

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

about the sequels and new IP’s going to be released. We suggest saving up the money now if you want to buy those sweet Collectors Editions for the major titles in the first four months of 2010.

In the meantime, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from OXCGN!

© 2009 Arthur Kotsopoulos and David Hilton

• Other games in genre at discount $’s for ALL OXCGN readers + Bonus Points

2009 has, in my opinion, been one of the best years ever to be a gamer.

With so many great games arriving and with plenty of 2008’s hits (Bioshock/Fallout 3/GTA IV/Metal Gear Solid 4 etc) falling in price it’s a great time to own a PS3.

Throw the PSP resurgence into the mix and it adds up to one brilliant era for games.

Anyway, now onto the main event! The awards you’ve been waiting for…

.

BEST DLC (Downloadable Content)

WINNER: Fallout 3 – Expansion Packs

Offering hours and hours more gameplay and an extended level cap to boot, the various DLC packs for Fallout 3 were well above anything else that arrived this year. Getting back into the Capital Wasteland never felt so good.

RUNNERS UP:

Killzone 2 – Maps

LittleBigPlanet – Various Costumes

Batman – Play as Joker Challenge Maps

.

BEST GAME INNOVATION

WINNER: Killzone 2 (Changing Game Modes Within A Consistent Online Match)

Killzone brought the noise in more ways than one but the changing game types within one online game was pretty sweet. Meaning that just as you’d be capturing the flag (speaker) the game could switch to deathmatch (Body Count) or whatever which in turn means that no two rounds are ever the same – genius.

RUNNERS UP:

InFamous (Karma System Working Within Empire City)

Prototype (Running Up Buildings)

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (Deathstreaks)

.

BEST TRAILER

WINNER: Assassin’s Creed II

There were lots of amazing trailers in 2009 but for me the most impressive both visually and with respect to what the gameplay promised, was Assassin’s Creed II. A fantastic game that saw you playing through the 1400’s in Italy, the trailer showed off exactly what the game had to offer.

RUNNERS UP:

Uncharted 2

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

God Of War 3

.

MOST ANTICIPATED GAME OF 2010:

WINNER: Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Heavy Rain was nailed on for this and while it’s still one of my most anticipated games of next year, playing through the beta of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has swayed me in favour of DICE’s first person shooter. With vehicles as well as guns this one looks set to rock it come March 2010.

.

BEST SOUNDTRACK (SCORE)

WINNER: Killzone 2 (Joris De Man)

There have been plenty of great scores in the games of 2009 but Killzone 2’s is awesome. ‘Helgan Forever’, the main theme, will live long in the memory – mainly due to the fact that it is a fantastic, stirring, piece of music. Brilliant throughout the game, Joris De Man’s score is a great companion to a stunning game. 

RUNNERS UP:

Uncharted 2

Infamous

Prototype

.

BEST SOUNDTRACK (LICENSED)

WINNER: Dirt 2

With a soundtrack featuring the might of Elbow, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Subways, Black Tide, Ladyhawke and Queens Of The Stone Age, Dirt 2 takes pole position in the soundtrack stakes. With a nice variety of styles it says a lot when you don’t get bored of the tracks after hearing them a few times and the inventive use of music through the menus and loading screens was a great touch.

RUNNERS UP:

Motorstorm: Arctic Edge (PSP)

Wet

Brutal Legend

.

BEST VOICE ACTING

WINNER: Uncharted 2

Well, what can you say about the voice acting of Uncharted 2. It has to be one of the very best performances ever given in a game. I listened to an interview in which the cast compared the experience to theatre as they were all in the same room together for all of the voicing/motion capture and boy does it show. The chemistry between all the actors involved is apparent throughout and some of the ad libbed stuff is stunning.

RUNNERS UP:

Ghostbusters: The Video Game

Wet

Batman: Arkham Ayslum

.

BEST GRAPHICS

WINNER: Uncharted 2

Killzone 2 ran Uncharted 2 very, very close for this award but in the end Naughty Dog takes it on the variety of stunning locations they manage to fit into the game – especially the areas with some of the most realistic snow I’ve ever seen. The character models are superb and the animation is extremely well done. 

RUNNERS UP:

Killzone 2

Dirt 2

Batman: Arkham Asylum

.

BEST SPORTS GAME

WINNER: FIFA 10

If you’d told me 18 months ago FIFA would be winning an award on my blog I would’ve thought you were insane. In tandom with the decline of PES, FIFA has risen to former glories and is now the definitive football (soccer) game. This game actually makes you think about the build up play well in advance and, even more importantly, lets you have full control over the action on the pitch.

RUNNERS UP:

Fight Night Round 4

Dirt 2

Madden 10

.

BEST PSP GAME

WINNER: GTA Chinatown Wars

There have been some great titles for the PSP this year but GTA Chinatown Wars pips them all at the post for sheer volume. There is so much to do in Liberty City and while the missions are bite sized there are plenty of them to get stuck into. A cast of colourful characters (as usual) helps matters and this is a fitting entry into the GTA universe. 

RUNNERS UP:

Assassin’s Creed Bloodlines

Resistance: Retribution

LittleBigPlanet

.

BEST STORYLINE

WINNER: InFamous

Infamous was a surprise hit for me as I was looking forward to Prototype a lot more. However Cole McGrath’s story of dealing with superpowers and finding out how the explosion happened was so great I played the game twice. With a few twists I didn’t see coming this game boasts a really great story. Uncharted 2 ran this close as it had a brilliant story but Infamous just pips it at the post.

RUNNERS UP:

Wet

Assassin’s Creed II

Uncharted 2

.

SINGLE PLAYER GAME OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Uncharted 2

Undoubtedly the best single player game for some time, Uncharted 2 makes you feel like the star of the best action movie ever. This is one of those games where all the pieces come together so well it’s a completely seamless experience. Brilliant.

RUNNERS UP:

Infamous

Batman: Arkham Asylum

Assassin’s Creed II

.

MULTIPLAYER GAME OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Killzone 2

Is there a more satisfying sound that the ping of a kill on Killzone 2? Giving the players more weight made the game feel heavier but seemingly fairer than a ‘twitch’ shooter like Modern Warfare 2. Killzone 2 is certainly the game I spent most time online with this year – clocking up in excess of 100 hours, which is a first for me. Great online fun.

RUNNERS UP:

Dirt 2

Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

Uncharted 2

.

GAME OF THE YEAR

WINNER: Uncharted 2

Naughty Dog’s excellent Uncharted 2 is no surprise as game of the year. Having already seen it take the gong at Spike’s VGA Awards I am following suit and giving Uncharted 2 the Game Of The Year Award for 2009. A fantastic, deep gaming experience with a great multiplayer added to boot. Seriously I’d like to speak to someone who played this and didn’t like it. As a whole Uncharted 2 is the best game in years and a very worthy winner.

RUNNERS UP:

InFamous

Assassin’s Creed II

Killzone 2

.

Wow, still struggling to believe we’re nearly done with 2009!

It says a lot about this year that a title as great as Batman: Arkham Asylum can be nominated for 4 awards and not win one. Quality titles abound.

It’s been an amazing year for gaming and the quality looks set to continue into 2010 with a host of great releases.

Let me know what your highlights were for 2009!

.

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Final Fantasy XIII OST
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Just Cause 2 pre-order bonus
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November NPD
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TIME: Best Video Games 2009
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Yakuza 4 in Japan March 2010
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Assassin’s creed II patch come Friday
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When GTA made its Nintendo DS debut less than a year ago with Chinatown Wars, it was well received by critics but did not perform as well as some may have thought with the DS install base.  The place for mature third party games on the Nintendo systems remains to be in question, especially when a renowned franchise fails to meet some people’s expectations; but I digress. That subsequently opened the door for a port to a recently rejuvenated PSP, the other portable system that already had two, million unit selling GTA titles under its belt with Liberty City and Vice City Stories.  We take a look at Chinatown Wars as GTA makes it long awaited return to the Playstation Portable, this time as an improved translation of the critically acclaimed Nintendo DS version.

The Pros

Chinatown Wars PSP is essentially the premiere edition of an already quality GTA game.  For those who aren’t familiar with the title, Chinatown Wars brings us back to Liberty City this time in the shoes of Huang: a wise cracking, spoiled kid arriving from Hong Kong sent to deliver the family sword that is (not so) steeped in tradition from his late father to his aspiring triad uncle “Kenny”.  In typical GTA fashion, everything goes awry immediately after his arrival in Liberty City leading Huang to get caught up in the underworld of Liberty City.

The game is a bit of a throwback to the pre-PS2 GTA where the top down view was the norm and seen in installments 1 and 2 of the franchise.  The return to that style of gameplay however, has been updated with a wide variety of quick time events, stylized drawings serving as dialogue cut scenes, as well as updated graphics.  Compared to the depth of other GTA games in recent years, and considering that this was originally developed exclusively for the DS, Chinatown Wars is the most tailored GTA title for mobile gaming.  It’s straight forward and simple, quick to pick up and put down, and essentially serves its purpose by delivering the classic GTA formula in bite sized servings.  It’s not bogged down by an intricate storyline or an in-depth management of you’re character and his surroundings yet there is still so much to do in this portable Liberty City with a colourful array of missions that is intrinsically GTA; from side missions like Chinese food delivery and drug deal management, to main missions involving arson, murder, sabotage, gang warfare with mature humour sprinkled throughout.  All of this still within the expansive world of Liberty City just as you remembered it in GTA IV (only now from a birds eye view).

Playing the PSP version of the title presents a few noticeable differentiating factors.  The most obvious is the improvements to the graphics as it moves over to a more powerful system giving the environments you roam a bit more realism and detail.  This subsequently makes this venture more enjoyable and Liberty City that much more recognizable.  Secondly is the transition from the touch-screen based controls to the more traditional button/analog stick controls for quick time events.  One would think that this transition would make the game lose one of its unique appealing factors, but you hardly miss the original quick time events originally designed for a touch-screen if you haven’t played the DS version.  Albeit some of the quick time events like putting together a sniper rifle might have been more involving with a touch-screen, but all in all the controls for the PSP also avoids some of the touch-screen overkill making basic commands like throwing projectiles and changing weapons simpler with less turnaround time.

The PSP version also provides new content firstly with new remixed music at a higher sound quality as well as new missions involving a TV journalist named Melanie.    This slew of new missions with Melanie does only consist of your run of the mill missions but is nice to see some exclusive content on top of the technical improvements from the original.

The Cons

Though it’s an upgraded port of the original DS version, it’s still feels like a game specifically made for the DS. There are moments in the game where you do feel they could have done even more with the PSP, like the inclusion of voice acting as opposed to text dialogue (no matter how campy it is in this game), or a game more similar to the “stories” GTA games on the PSP (whether you prefer it or not).  In addition, as I mentioned before, with the exclusion of the touch-screen there are still moments within the game especially during some of the quick time events, where you feel you are losing out on part of the experience if you’ve ever played the DS version.

My only other gripe is with the top down view in an environment where it’s designed to be layered vertically and bridges and other obstructions you have to pass under blocks your view preventing you to maneuver effectively in those situations.

Here’s the Deal

If you have experienced the game on the DS, you may not get much more from the PSP version other than the improved cosmetic value, a change in the control scheme, and a couple new missions.  The real recommendation is for those who don’t have a DS or have yet to experience Chinatown Wars regardless of the format.  With the PSP version, you get the overall better version of a game that was great to begin with.  Rockstar has successfully shrank the GTA experience in a specifically portable version without giving up the signature details that has made GTA one of the most revered franchises in video games. Sean C.  9/10

We had a hefty load of titles come in this week. Thanks to the  PR peeps who really came through for us – MUCH Thanks! This weekend… It’s Con-Chair-To time! (in Edge minor). Smackdown vs Raw 2010 is back and it’s packed with even more awesome-ness. My created superstar is a cross between current fav The Hurricane and the  Green Lantern.  Someone created a nice Joker online, so I quickly grabbed it.  Our coverage of the Forza 3 events this week will also have me puttin’ the pedal to the Italian leather this weekend.  Look for our driving ‘czar’ Zoli for coverage of Saturday’s FORZA 3 event at the CNE (Toronto).  James S.
Gamertag/PSN: elSCIENTIFICO

I’m still pretty hooked on Demon Souls for the PS3 but I’ll also being spending some time on my PSP with GTA: Chinatown Wars and the Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron demo released this week.  I’ll also be heading back to my PS3 since we got an early copy of Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time for review.  I first played the next installment of R&C at this year’s Fan Expo Toronto and was pleasantly surprised, so I’ve got high hopes for the final build.  Subsequently, If I have time, I also might check out this year’s Toronto Zombie Walk this Saturday.  Sean C.
PSN/Steam: shonathan

Having just recently finished Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days, I started a proud mode file in Kingdom Hearts 2 in order to test my KH skills and see the story in a new light based on the events of 358/2 days. I’m stuck in the Land of Dragons not because I can’t keep Sora alive, but because my stupid Morale bar keeps running out, which is a bar that gradually depletes over time and doesn’t go any slower even though I’m fighting enemies that are
twice as strong as Normal mode. I’ll get it done, though…eventually. First I need to play a reasonable amount of the two games I just received so that I can review them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy will have to wait!  Mike D.
Gamertag: Retneug

Hey! This weekend I’m switching it up, I’m checking out the new Ratchet & Clank:  A Crack in Time. I played Ratchet & Clank about 5 years ago so I’m curious how much has changed. But I remember it being fun   Game Girl Tess

DS’den sonra PSP sahiplerininde tadına varacağı GTA: Chinatown Wars bu gün €34.99 fiyat etiketiyle PSN’den indirime sunuldu.

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• NBA 2K10

PS3 Oyun Eklentileri

• EyePet: Wild West Styling Pack (£2.39/€2.99)
• EyePet: Lucky Dip Pack 1 (Bedava)
• Midnight Club Los Angeles: Police Car Pack (Bedava)
• Cross Edge: Power-Up Pack + (Bedava)
• Guitar Hero 5: Classic Rock 2 Track Pack (“Freeze Frame” by Geils Band, “Lay It On The Line” by Triump, “Show Me The Way (Live)” by Peter Frampton) – £4.39/€5.49 (£1.59/€1.99 each)
• Rock Band: Queen Pack 01 (“Another One Bites The Dust”, “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”, “Fat Bottomed Girls”, “I Want It All by Queen”, “I Want To Break Free”, “Killer Queen”, “One Vision”, “Somebody To Love”, “Tie Your Mother Down”, “Under Pressure”) – £9.19/€11.25 (£0.99/€1.49 each)

PS3 Premium Temalar

• EyePet (£1.59/€1.99)
• Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time (£1.59/€1.99)

PSP Oyun

• Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (£29.99/€34.99)
• Hannah Montana: Rock Out The Show (£23.99/€29.99)
• WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2010 (£31.99/€39.99)
• Marvel Superhero Squad (£29.99/€34.99)
• Astro Boy: The Video Game (£23.99/€29.99)
• G-Force (£29.99/€34.99)

PSP Minis

• Red Bull X Fighters (£3.99/€4.99)

PSP Demos

• Star Wars Battlefield: Elite Squadron

No pos' si se ve mejor

Pues he aqui un video de este port directo del DS al PSP. Desde un principio podemos notar que la mejora grafica si es bastante, por otra parte pues no tiene nada especial, se ha dicho que incluira uno que otro extra aunque no se ha especificado con exactitud que sera.

¿Como la ven?

So, following on from the Winter 2009 Film preview last week – here’s the gaming edition of things to look out for…

THE SABOTEUR (PS3)

Release Date: 8th December

Developer: Pandemic Games

Publisher: EA

The more I see of this War era game the more I like the look of it.

You play as one man resistance Sean Devlin as he tries to destroy the Nazis. We’ve been told there is a personal revenge story in there as well.

My favourite thing about this game is the way that the occupied parts of Paris are black & white and the parts you’ve liberated have the colour come back to them. Looks cool.

MODERN WARFARE 2 (PS3)

Release Date: 10th November

Developer: Infinity Ward

Publisher: Activision

Don’t really need to say much about this one I suspect. This has to be one of the most hyped games of recent years.

I’m looking forward to playing this but I’m not as excited about the multiplayer as everyone else seems to be

The clips I’ve seen look good but not amazing – hopefully it will be as great as everyone else thinks!

GTA: CHINATOWN WARS (PSP)

Release Date: 23rd October

Developer: Rockstar

Publisher: Rockstar

After success on the Nintendo DS Rockstar is bringing Chinatown Wars to the PSP.

A cell shaded and fairly stylised game with an aerial viewpoint, Chinatown Wars is set in the same Liberty City we know from GTA IV.

As well as performing standard missions you have the chance to boost your income by peddling one of six kinds of drugs. Nice

However I’m reliably informed this isn’t as sinister as it sounds and it is actually a deep and tactical part of the game.

Rockstar always comes up trumps and this scored high ciritically on the DS so there’s no reason to think it won’t be as good on PSP.

UNCHARTED 2: AMONG THIEVES (PS3)

Release Date: TBC October

Developer: Naughty Dog

Publisher: Sony

After the visually stunning and superbly written first game there is no doubt that for me personally, Uncharted 2 is the most anticipated game of 2009.

Continuing Nathan Drake’s story with new allies and enemies, among the old favourites of course, Uncharted 2 will have you travelling all over the world as the story unfolds.

Added to all this is a new multiplayer mode that will take the Uncharted universe online for the first time! Check out my initial impressions of that here.

Geoff Keighley, the well respected host of GameTrailers.com has recently tweeted that Unchated 2 is ‘one of the best games of this generation.’ I expect nothing less.

BRUTAL LEGEND (PS3)

Release Date: 15th October

Developer: Double Fine Productions

Publisher: EA

In Brutal Legend you control Eddie Riggs, a roadie who ends up transported to a world inspired by Heavy Metal album covers. Do I need to continue?

Well if you need more then the idea of the game is to help the people of this world break free of the tyranny of a bunch of supernatural overlords.

Not 100% sold on the multiplayer but this is still a game I’m defintely looking forward to.

The soundtrack looks great with over 100 tracks personally selected by Tim Scafer, the games creator. Jack Black voices Eddie Riggs and there are roles for Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy among others.

Only downer for me on this that they have ditched Dio (& his tracks) and got Tim Curry to voice his character instead. No Dio?

BLUR (PS3)

Release Date: 6th November

Developer: Bizarre Creations

Publisher: Activision

I’ve included Blur in this list as lots of people are hyped about it and the game itself looks, graphically, great.

For me Split/Second, Disney’s racing offering, looks the better option for vehicular combat – however after the whole Prototype/Infamous debacle left me with egg on my face, I’m not ruling Blur out.

Essentially a hybrid of Mario Kart and Twisted Metal, Blur gives you powerful cars with powerful weapons.

You can win races by speed or by taking out the opposition – there is nothing new here but it looks like it could be fun.

ASSASSIN’S CREED II (PS3)

Release Date: 20th November

Developer: Ubisoft

Publisher: Ubisoft

The first Assassin’s Creed took me a while to get into but once I did I was immersed fully.

Yes it was limited in places but the engaging storyline, great graphics and cool features were enough for me.

Ubisoft are upping their game for the second installment, this time featuring lots of new gadgets and more ways of getting information on targets (rather than just the three methods of the first game).

We take on the role of role of Ezio Auditore da Firenze, an assassin who is presumably another decendant of Desmond Miles.

Set in Venice in the 15th Century, the game features some beautiful locales for us to cause mischief in.

Can’t wait for this one.

DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS (PS3)

Release Date: 11th November

Developer: Bioware

Publisher: EA

I’ve never been a massive fan of fantasy RPG’s like Baldur’s Gate or Dungeons & Dragons (which is surprising considering my obsession with the Fighting Fantasy series of books and games like Hero Quest when I was a kid).

I have seen my wife play Baldur’s Gate and some of Oblivion: Elder Scrolls so I kind of know the ’standards’ of these games.

Dragon Age: Origins caught my eye with a few great trailers and having looked at it a bit more I’m quite intrigued.

They have the (almost obligitaory) karma system but I like the idea of the origins part – where you’ll control the character early on in their life and shape their outlook.

Kind of like an extended version of the great Vault sequence in Fallout 3.

Might be worth a try.

So there you go. One of the games I was really excited about was the spy based RPG ‘Alpha Protocol’ (Sega) but that has now been pushed back to June 2010 so a longer wait ensues.

However, judging by the games above we haveplenty to get through in the meantime!

Bueno, eso es lo que quisiera este joven y apasionado redactor (osea yo) y al parecer no falta mucho…

Rockstar Games ha anunciado que ‘Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars’ llegará al iPhone y al iPod Touch este otoño. No obstante, aún no ha sido desvelado el precio de la aplicación.

El juego, desarrollado por Rockstar Leeds, “es perfecto para iPhone y iPod touch,” comentó Sam Houser, fundador de Rockstar Games.

“Estamos muy entusiasmados de ofrecer esta versión increíblemente ambiciosa de ‘Liberty City’, con este nivel de detalle en las nuevas plataformas de juego de Apple”.

‘Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars’ está ya disponible para Nintendo DS y también llegará este otoño al sistema PlayStation Portable.

El juego sigue la historia de Huang Lee, un joven de las Tríadas que viaja a Liberty City tras la misteriosa muerte de su padre. Los jugadores harán su propio camino a través de las calles mientras descubren la verdad tras esta épica historia de crimen y corrupción dentro del sindicato del crimen de las Tríadas.

Según la compañía, el juego para iPhone e iPod Touch será igual a las versiones para las portátiles, si bien algunas texturas verán rebajadas su resolución por las características del dispositivo.

A Rockstar anunciou dois lançamentos para o iPhone, o grande celular multimídia da Apple que esta virando meio que um videogame portatil. Primeiro temos Beaterator, até então exclusivo para o PSP onde você pode criar suas proprias musica se mixa-las, ou algo assim não estou muito bm interado sobre este game, mas a surpresa fica com o game Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars.

E segundo o executivo Sam Houser, Beaterator se encaixa perfeitamente com a proposta do portátil da Apple, que é de oferecer diversão e interatividade em qualquer lugar, ao alcance de um toque em sua tela. Houser também considera o iPhone como uma plataforma perfeita para Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars e revela que a empresa está bastante empolgada com o lançamento do game no iPhone, já que temos mais interatividade e como no PSP, mais mercado neste estilo de jogo!

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars originalmente para DS chegara em breve com novas versões para PSP e I Phone talvez ainda esse ano, vamos ficar de olho para mais novidades!

Até mais!

Rockstar Games ha annunciato lo sviluppo di Beatreator e GTA Chinatown Wars per ipod e iphone touch. L’arrivo sull’App Store è previsto per la fine dell’anno per un costo di 10 €.

Post rápido só para avisar que a Rockstar anunciou oficialmente em seu site, que está desenvolvendo uma versão de Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars para iPhone e iPod touch.

Não tem nenhuma data ou tela do jogo ainda, mas a notícia termina falando quem muito em breve teremos telas do jogo, para termos a noção que como está o andamento.

E era isso então, abraço!

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>> Imagens de Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars para PSP

Finalmente Rockstar lo confirmó, su gran franquicia GTA que trasladó a la portátil de Nintendo, el DS y que fué anunciada en el pasado E3 2008, se convierte en un port para PSP.

GTA: Chinatown Wars para PSP contiene algunas mejoras, a diferencia de la versión en DS, se adicionaron nuevas misiones, los gráficos, la iluminación y las animaciones gozarán de mayor calidad. El 20 de Octubre de este año, esla fecha en que este título aparecerá en vitrinas para su venta.

Desafortunadamente las ventas en DS no favorecieron a la distribuidora, ya que la portátil de Nintendo suele ser destinada a un público casual, sumandole a esto, el ESRB (Mature) que caracteriza a la franquicia, no le favorecía en nada al integrarse al catálogo de juegos de la Gran N. Chinatown Wars, se caracterizó por hacer uso de gráficos en Cel Shadimg, mismos que fueron utilizados en Jet Set Radio para Dreamcast, aunque esa, es otra historia.

Fuente: Shacknews

Sí, bueno, ya se saben la historia, GTA Chinatown Wars solia ser exclusivo del Nintendo DS, pero las ventas no fueron lo suficientemente buenas así que Rockstar decidió ponerse a trabajar en el port para PSP que hoy en día ya está casi terminado y verá la luz algún día del mes de Octubre. Chequen las imágenes de la versión del PSP después del corte.

Lamentablemente, una prueba más de que juegos de este tipo, no pegan en un DS

Yo digo que si se mejoraron las graficas, y eso es bueno.

The upcoming Ratchet & Clank Future: a Crack in Time will be coming on October 7 for the PS3.

Square Enix confirms that there won’t be FFVII remake, at least for now. In the meantime, just buy the $10 original PSX version from the PlayStation Store.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is originally on the DS, but Rockstar has confirmed it for the PSP platform, which will be coming October 1st.

The PSP release of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars was confirmed and yet a release date has been revealed. It’s scheduled to ship in the US on October 20.

No price has been confirmed for the game though, Yet you can have two options for getting the game, either via UMD or through digital download.

The European release date comes three days later, October 23.

Rockstar Games lo anunció asi el dia de ayer por la tarde desde su página de twitter .

Estará Disponible tanto en UMD como en descarga digital para la PSN el próximo 20 de Octubre en Ámerica y el 23 del mismo mes pa’ el otro lado del charco (Osease Europa)

¿Necesito escribrir mas o ya entendieron?

A Rockstar Games anunciou a data oficial de lçançamento de Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars para PSP, o jogo sairá dia 20 de Outubro. O anúncio oficial foi feito através do Twitter da produtora.

GTA CW foi lançado em Março no Nintendo DS e a Rockstar não nos disse muita coisa sobre o port do título para o PSP.

A Rockstar afirmou, quando o game foi anunciado para PSP em Junho, que o game será “especialmente feito para a plataforma PSP com gráficos melhorados em widescreen, iluminação e animações aprimoradas e com novas missões de história.”

O título estará disponível tanto em disco (UMD) quanto para download.

Rockstar ha annunciato che Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, inizialmente esclusiva Nintendo DS, arriverà anche su PSP il 20 Ottobre, sia tramite UMD che tramite Playstation Store.