Please don't leave us THQ!

THQ have clearly been suffering with problems lately and many have speculated on how much money they actually have in their bank. Their shareholders are running for cover and their stock prices have sunk lower and lower lately. In fact the rumour mill has subsequently kick into gear about how long the company has left.

They have of course jumped into defence mode but saying that they have not cancelled their games and are not going bust... I’m certainly hoping this is right and I’ll tell you why.

THQ are a different sort of publisher to the likes of EA and Activision, their actions over the last few years have shown that they are willing to compete with new ideas and innovations. Whereas Activision have a massive back list of games to schedule sequels for the THQ base is much smaller and therefore they have to look towards new IP’s to make any  money.

There has been a time when gamers didn’t really look at THQ with much enthusiasm; most of their products consisted of mediocre WWE simulators or the usual TV tie in. Fans of the specific shows became fans of the products and were happy to be able to Rock Bottom friends even if the gameplay was stiff. Fortunately it’s these loyal fans that have kept THQ plugging along.

For now THQ aren’t going anywhere which is great news for us as gamers and obviously for them as a company. They actually had a solid December for sales and are probably one of the top five publishers in the U.S. They produced some great games in 2011 in the form of Homefront and Saint’s Row: The Third, and also have some big releases on the cards for 2012 too in the form of Metro: Last Light and Darksiders 2. They have also got their new IP’s Brave and South Park scheduled for release too over the next 12 months but I’m not familiar with either.

As I stated early THQ have a different ethic to a lot of their competitors, their lack of licenses have forced them to come up with an entirely new selection of original games with fresh ideas. With their TV license businesses drying up THQ have taken action as they’ve seen that a big percentage of their own cash is being given to the license holders ever time a sale takes place - even if the game is unsuccessful itself.

The big companies have loads of old IP’s that they can resurrect at any time and this is where they will find their feet in this poor economic climate. Old fans of different series will evidently purchase the recreated products and it’s common to persuade someone to buy something they love over something they are unfamiliar with.

Unfortunately that also means that THQ have to spend lots on marketing ahead of releasing a new IP and ultimately that reduces their profit margins and increases their chances of failure. Homefront maybe wasn’t the best FPS ever but the marketing pushed their sale pass the profitable line. It’s difficult to birth a killer franchise straight away – not many new IP’s hit with sales like Halo, Call of Duty or Fifa.

THQ have brought in new studio talent to reinvent their previously failing formula and taken the necessary steps to reinvent themselves. This is always a painful experience for any company especially for those who lost their jobs in various shake ups but hopefully THQ will come out the other side stronger.

Quite frankly losing a publisher like THQ will only put more power in the hands of companies that don’t want to take risks and settle for tried and tested formulas ahead of new ideas. THQ might not be the creative power of Valve but their failure would make companies even more reluctant to put new ideas on the table.

Good Luck THQ!

Kind regards,

Your Video Game Blog

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Mass Effect 3 - Toys/Figures to include DLC

Some quick news for you relating to Mass Effect 3 today as Bioware have confirmed this week that their action figure lines going on sale in the US later this year will included DLC codes for the game itself.

Spotted by NeoGAF and reported by Eurogamer a retail listing on BigBadToyStore shows eight separate figures available individually ($17.99) or in packs of four ($67.99). The blurb outlined below explains the downloadable content also being offered:

"Each figure includes an in-pack card giving you access to downloadable in-game bonus content. Each figure contains different in-game content, exclusive to North American released product. Collect all eight for the full experience!"

Bioware also have a listing for the items on their webstore – their personal listing information can also be found below:

"These products contain codes that can be redeemed for a downloadable content pack for Mass Effect 3 multi-player. They are slightly randomised during the registration and could include powerful new weapons and new characters.

"The pack could also include character boosters, weapon modifications, and weapon upgrades to make your multiplayer squad stronger. (Only supported on Xbox 360 and PC.)"

No comments yet on whether these bonuses will come across the Atlantic. I’m almost certain that if not then there codes will be available on the XBLA system.

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The Future of Microsoft Points

Love them or hate them Microsoft Points have been a bone of contention ever since the 360 came onto the market. The system requires people to buy credits before purchasing the content on offer. Users have been critical of this method due to the confusing arrangements and ease of use. It would be much easier to purchase games/DLC etc without the mumbo jumbo of purchasing points first. Surely Microsoft could arrange for people to pay on a per purchase basis rather then making them methodically assign their points purchased to the items on offer.

Since the launch of the 360 this method of purchasing products and services has been assigned to other Microsoft applications like Zune, Games for Windows and even to their Windows Phone platforms.

Apparently though this scheme could be coming to an end as Microsoft attempt to build for the future and put their products in line with the ease of the PSN and their other areas of competition.

IGN have reported that Inside Mobile App have confirmed that there is a chance that the system will be changed before the end of 2012. Instead real world money will be used on all transactions and that developers have been told to plan accordingly for the upcoming amendments.

While this is just a rumour at the moment I would imagine that this sort of change can only be good for the XBLA with impulse purchasing becoming even easier. Microsoft have given their standard ‘no comment’ response when asked about these changes but that doesn’t mean they aren’t true. Would you be pleased to see this change come into fruition? Do any of you prefer the current method?

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House Party 2012 Schedule and Prices

Following up from my House Party post last week; Microsoft have now revealed the line up for the full Arcade selection including release dates.

First up will be EA’s top down puzzle adventure Warp which shall be priced at 800 Microsoft Points and released 15^th February.

That's followed on 22^nd February by survival horror spin-off Alan Wake's American Nightmare, which is priced slightly higher at 1200 Points.

The third game in the line up is THQ’s first person shooter Nexuiz which will hit the XBLA on 29^th February and is also priced at 800 Points.

Finally, Ubisoft's long-delayed survival adventure I Am Alive will final see a global release on 7^th March and will be priced at 1200 Microsoft Points.

Once again Microsoft is offering 800 free points to anyone who buys all four.

I’ll definitely be keeping a keen eye on these as they get released as they are shaping up to be some of the best XBLA games on offer. Which one are you most excited about or will you be getting all four title?

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2012 - Video Game Resolutions

So 2012 is upon us and you’ve no doubt already broken those New Year’s Resolutions. This year I decided I would skip away from those, ‘eat more healthy’, ‘do more exercise’, ‘quit smoking’ options and instead gone with the ‘what didn’t I do in 2011 approach?’

Here’s the idea – why not this year do all the things you really want to do and finish those things you didn’t get sorted in the last 12 months.

Try a New Genre

I’ve always been interest in strategy games on the Xbox but have never really played them. I gave Viva Piñata a go and thoroughly enjoyed it (for a time) but beyond this my experiences have been fairly limited. My friends love a bit of Halo Wars but I can’t work out why you would ever want to play it without a keyboard and mouse. There are loads of great games out there for us all to play even if they aren’t the specific genre you usually play.

If you like a shooter play a sports game? If you like RPG’s go out into the real world?

Complete the Games I Did Not Finish

In a manner of speaking my shelf is full of unfinished 360 classics. I’ve finished most through the main story but I’ve never taken on the side quests or realty bumped up the difficult. Dragon Age: Awakening is my biggest disappointment. Coming out at a time when a lot of great games were release it took a bit of a back seat and hasn’t ever ventured into my box. It’s on the shelf, it’s still wrapped and I know one day I will play it. That and I need to do 4 of the Origin stories from the main game.

Bulk up the difficulty on one of your favourites like Halo Reach with a single player Legendary run or try to get 100% of the achievements in all your most played games.

Try a Game that got a Lower Score

Some of the major website and magazines give great scores to developers based on their general relationships. This can sometimes blur the line between a generally good game that maybe got a below par score. It’s also a shame that most gamers will no play anything that didn’t get at least 8 out of 10 or 80% overall. Just because a game gets a high score doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy it and alternatively just because a game got a low score doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it either. Leave your score snobbery at the door and try a game because ‘you’ think it looks entertaining. Game of course end up cheap if they don’t get their billion sales so try something released last year or even the year before.

Earth Defence Force is a great series for the arcade feel. Yes its’ clear the visuals aren’t great and of course not everyone will like it but for £5.00 who’s complaining?

Become an XBLA Gamer

Paying £40.00 or £50.00 for each new release is more than just a little pricey so why no join the online age and pick up some XBLA games. These range from the brilliant to the downright unplayable but if you pick a good one it can eat as many hours as any full retail game. Castle Crashers is a prime example and is great fun singularly or with friends – it’s got the ‘one more level’ addiction and some colourful and interesting styles.

If you don’t play XBLA then my question is, why not? It really has something for everyone. Try Trine 2 if you love an RPG or Trials if you love a pick up and play title with a decent amount of challenge.

Now is the time to break your old habits and with the New Year behind us really try to give yourself something new. Do you avoid certain genres? Do you hate low scoring games? If you answered yes to either question then you’re probably a game snob like me… the only difference is that I’m changing my ways. Have you tried anything new recently and enjoyed the experience? Or do you have a good reason to disagree with this post? Sound off in the comments below.

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Resident Evil 6 Announced

Finally Capcom have officially announced Resident Evil 6, being produced by Hiroyuki Kobayashi (the mind behind Resi 4) this survival horror game will feature both single and multiplayer aspects.

Scheduled for release on 20^th November for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 the games story has been set already. The trailer itself looks rather nice but until I get to see/play some gameplay I won’t place my excitement levels too high.

"It has been ten years since the Raccoon City incident and the President of the United States has decided to reveal the truth behind what took place in the belief that it will curb the current resurgence in bioterrorist activity. Due to be by the President's side is his personal friend and Raccoon City survivor, Leon S. Kennedy, but when the venue suffers a bioterrorist attack, Leon is forced to face a President transformed beyond recognition and make his hardest ever decision. At the same time, Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance member Chris Redfield arrives in China, itself under threat of a bioterrorist attack. With no country safe from these attacks and the ensuing outbreaks, the entire world's population is united by a common fear that there is no hope left."


The sequel to the popular Resident Evil 5 will no doubt be getting gamers really excited at the prospect of fighting back hordes of evil. In fact Resident Evil 5 was the best selling game in the franchise and means that the platform for players in the new instalment will be substantial.

If you haven’t seen it go watch the trailer now and if you have let us know what you think in the comment section below.

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Mass Effect 3 - Kinect

After my article about Kinect needing to get better I'm pleased to say that Mass Effect 3 uses Kinect. Okay it's only for voice commands but it'll be brilliant to get Miranda using Warp or issuing commands for Wrex to tank forward. Basically any command players used to bring up the control wheel can now be managed by the use of your voice. The game will run smoothly without interruption.

The examples given were simple and easy to use – 'Sniper Rifle' changes Shepherd's weapon ironically to a Sniper Rifle', saying 'Warp' lets off the Biotic Power and if you say 'Garras Move' he effin' moves to the icon on screen.

It looks like the voice recognition is good too; many different voices were used at the display and they all seemed too register without any problems.

The voice recognition can also be used for various commands out-of-combat, including opening doors, initiating NPC conversation, and picking up or examining items. People have said that this seems a bit gimmicky when it only really requires a button press but invariably people will use it.

Mass Effect 3 looked awesome at the Eurogamer Expo last year and it's adding enough elements to hit the market hard. Playing the game on Insanity difficulty was always an endless shot at running for a few seconds and then stopping to bring up the combat wheel. Now it'll be seamless with multiple voice commands being used quickly in succession. It's almost a reason to buy Kimect. It's difficult to guess what will be used on the harder settings though as planning is key.

Gamers will be able to test out the Kinect action for themselves in just a few short weeks with the Demo scheduled for 14^th February. The full game is then released on 6^th March.

Also remember playing the demo unlocks some extras in Kingdom of Amalur too.

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Kingdoms of Amalur Demo

On 11^th January 2011, EA announced another crossover promotion between Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning and Mass Effect 3. Playing the demo for Kingdoms of Amalur will unlock two Reckoning-inspired in-game items in Mass Effect 3, while playing the Mass Effect 3 demo will unlock armor and a weapon in Kingdoms of Amalur.

Playing Amalur will lead to the player getting both the Reckoner Knight Armor and a Chakram Launcher weapon in Mass Effect 3. These are likely to be useful weapons but do not expect these to complete the game for you. Bioware are very good at creating exciting equipment but also they ensure these do not break the original game features.

The Kingdoms of Amalur demo has been released today, unfortunately though we still have to wait for the Mass Effect 3 demo which is due later this month. Last week, additional items were also announced for Mass Effect 3 in the form of pre-order bonuses.

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Mass Effect 3 - All I Know

Mass Effect 3 has been shaping up really well and sees the welcome return and conclusion to the Commander Shepherd trilogy. Originally announced way back in December 2010 the finale of the intergalactic action feast is due to release early in 2012 around the globe and sees the Reapers, an ancient alien race, launching an invasion against the galaxy leaving nothing but the destruction of all sentient beings in their wake.

The game is due to follow on from the Mass Effect 2 DLC called Arrival and will also include the first multiplayer addition of the series. A single and multiplayer demo is scheduled for some time this month but again no exact data for release has been given.

In Mass Effect 3 Earth has been taken, the galaxy is on the verge of total annihilation, and Commander Shepard with the help of the many races of the galaxy, must stop the Reapers. The price of failure is the extinction of the human race. The actually plot points haven’t been discussed too much beyond this though and Bioware have kept a lid on where the game will go from there.

Casey Hudson said back in May 2011 that, ‘The battle for Earth is lost. The only hope is to flee, gather support, and mount a counter-attack to reclaim the planet.’

Instead of forming a group like in Mass Effect 2 the player will need to recruit races to his/her cause. That means you’ll be talking to the Salarians, the Quarians, the Krogan and many others to get them involved in the race to save the Galaxy.

Of course you can again carry over your Mass Effect 2 save where plot choices from both of the previous instalments will affect the story in many interesting way. Bioware have however confirmed that starting fresh will not impact the player and will take them down the desired developer story instead.

The game should play a lot like the second instalment but has been tweaked to speed up the whole experience. You can now jump and roll over or around objects; which should make positioning much easier for the player.

Kinect will also feature in the game by allowing people to issue voice commands to their squad-mates. Unfortunately this will only be available in single-player mode though.

Of course there is also the addition of the Galaxy at War mode. This will require a strategic head as the player co-operates with up to three others in order to defeat waves of enemies or capture control points. This mode can be played in both single player offline and online multiplayer so knowing Bioware we can expect the experience to be very deep indeed. The "War Assets" you collect in Galaxy at War directly affect the outcome of the single-player campaign too which is a nice touch. The player can customise his/her own character to their specific playstyle and there has also been talk of perks and XP trees.

We can expect the majority of the major squad members to return as well as the important NPC’s like Captain Anderson and Conrad Verner, but, this will depend heavily on the outcome of the previous games (like who survived the suicide mission at the end of Mass Effect 2).

The game will follow the galaxy trotting style of Mass Effect 2 with visits to the homeworlds of the Asari and Salarians already confirmed. We can also expect to visit Earth for the first time as well as revisit Illium and Noveria.

All in all Mass Effect 3 is starting to shape up as being one of the biggest releases of 2012 and could be a genuine contender for Game of the Year.

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2011 The Biggest Sellers

So now that 2011 has come to a close ‘what were the biggest selling games?’ I hear you ask. Well lucky you because today I stumbled across the latest sales figures. There aren’t any real surprises in the results as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 topped the Xbox, Playstation and All Format lists. In fact the Call of Duty franchise has now topped the annual pile three years on the trot.

FIFA 12 finished as the second best selling UK video game of 2011, followed by publisher sibling Battlefield 3. Surprisingly though, it was Zumba Fitness that finished fourth, ahead of universally acclaimed RPG Skyrim in fifth.

Other areas to note are that digital sales are still not currently counted, but that they will be soon - UKIE plans to launch digital charts this year. Also on an interesting side note the Xbox 360 apparently sole the overall most amount of software - both in unit volume and money earned.

2011 All Formats Chart

1.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

2.FIFA 12

3.Battlefield 3

4.Zumba Fitness

5.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

6.Just Dance 3

7.Assassin's Creed: Revelations

8.L.A. Noire

9.Saints Row: The Third

10.Batman: Arkham City

2011 Xbox 360 Chart

1.Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

2.FIFA 12

3.The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

4.Battlefield 3

5.Gears of War 3

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Suicides Threatened at Xbox 360 Manufacturing Plan

Around 300 workers at a Foxconn manufacturing plant in Wuhan, China have reportedly threatened to throw themselves en masse off the buildings roof following pay disputes earlier this month.

According to WantChina Times and spotted by Kotaku, the staff, who worked on the Xbox 360 assembly line, were denied a pay rise by Foxcomm management. The problem arose when staff were offered a choice between staying on their current wage or taking compensated dismissal where most of the workers chose the later. Management however then decided to rescind their offer which caused the workers to climb onto the plant’s roof where they threaten to jump off in protest.

The mayor of Wuhan apparently intervened and helped to talk the workers down.

Microsoft have since issued the following statement in response to the story:

"Microsoft takes working conditions in the factories that manufacture its products very seriously, and we are currently investigating this issue.

"We have a stringent Vendor Code of Conduct that spells out our expectations, and we monitor working conditions closely on an ongoing basis and address issues as they emerge. Microsoft is committed to the fair treatment and safety of workers employed by our vendors, and to ensuring conformance with Microsoft policy."

This isn't the first time Foxconn has made headlines. A spate of employee suicides back in 2010 led to management installing nets on the sides of its buildings to stop staff jumping.

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How to Improve the Xbox 360 in 2012?

While 2011 was a pretty good year for the Xbox 360 there are a few areas that Microsoft could do with expanding to improve their market share during 2012. We have previously outlined how the system drew some fantastic sales figures, including its best week in history this past Christmas but a lack of exclusive titles and a recently introduced problematic dashboard shows that there are areas for improvement. Microsoft needs a new strategy and they need it now especially if they are going to continue competing with Sony over the next 12 months.

 Fix the Dashboard

The end of 2011 marked the release of the new Xbox 360 dashboard to coincide with the Windows updates but also marked the point where we decided to not play with the features of our Xbox Live memberships anymore. Yes the dashboard update brought a lot of great possibilities for Xbox to be a household media centre but it also stopped us from using the things we loved best about the console to begin with. First and foremost this is a video games console with media applications and not the other way around. Now my Xbox is home to intrusive advertisements, clunky controls and a hiding place for the things I actually use. Finding the indie game section still eludes me when I’m not thinking right and I sometimes find myself using an alternative method for watching game updates then the console they will be played on. The visibility of games is the biggest problem now and this needs to be addressed quickly or we can expect the indie and XBLA titles to lose sales over the next 12 months – not because they won’t be good enough but because these are usually impulse purchases for the majority of people.

Lets not be too negative about the new dashboard; it’s actually sectioned quite well but the navigation itself is quite clunky. I mean how many times do I need to know I can download a Facebook app? I didn’t use it before why would I start now? Badgering me will only make me even less interested in the product.

More Exclusive Titles

While 2011 was a great year to own an Xbox 360 it was also the year where a lot of the exclusive franchises got a main release which unfortunately seems to have impacted 2012. The biggest franchises Microsoft have all released a major title over the course of the year in the form of Gears of War 3, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Forza 4.

It seems now that the only big exclusive for the Xbox next year is coming in the form of Halo 4. Yes Halo is sure to be a massive seller; but where are the other huge exclusives we all know and love. The Playstation 3 has a steady flow of exclusive title in the pipeline but Microsoft seems to have slowed down their processes for picking these sorts of titles up. More high-quality exclusives will be the key to competing over the next 12 months but these need to be confirmed as soon as possible to build up some momentum.

Microsoft has a budding relationship with a lot of XBLA developers but this is hard to show off to the public if they don’t already own a console. Their recent purchase of Twisted Pixel can only mean good things in this respect but we as consumers need to be shown why the Xbox is the biggest of the three main household consoles.

My best of 2012 article from earlier this week outlines this problem in its fullest; only Halo 4 is an Xbox exclusive.

Better use of Kinect

Kinect has struggled when it comes to delivering compelling experiences in favour of quick play or party titles. The hardware is actually very exciting but for the hardcore gamer in us there’s not a lot of reason to use the motion controlled system.

When Kinect was first announced (as project Natal) the public were excited about what this could offer and the demoed examples of these experiences did not come into fruition quite as we necessarily expected. Aside from Dance Central and The Gunslinger Kinect has suffered to deliver for the hardcore gamer.

While some of the main titles released over the last year did have Kinect functions (I’m looking at you Halo Anniversary) these still left a lot to be desired. The implementation of voice commands for functions and commands are only final add-ons for these major titles and it would be nice to see a fully functioning game in the future.

It’s also one of the main reasons why I haven’t purchased a Kinect myself and why my only experiences with the hardware are with party games or at showcasing events. Microsoft needs to offer better experiences for the device even if this doesn’t consist of fully dedicated games. Using Kinect to enhance experiences is definitely a step forward and should be used to supplement games without interrupting the flow of the gameplay. Using Kinect in ways that have eluded the Playstation Move and the Nintendo Wii will allow Microsoft the chance to market Kinect in a different way.

Xbox Live Improvements

The Xbox Live functions have been used fairly well up until now but with the digital age upon us Microsoft really need to push all their time into their online functions. The current system is not floored but it doesn’t offer anything revolutionary in a way that can be used as a competitive advantage.

The Games on Demand section seems to be the key area to improve over the next 12 months. I was always hoping that this system would make games available on demand as soon as they hit the shelves of our local Video Game dealers. It would be nice to see Mass Effect 3 released as an On Demand title the same day the boxes appear on the shelves. It would push sales, allow for advertising of the software and get people using this option rather then going to their local Game store (think ‘Green’ people). Personally I think this is a no-brainer and one that should have been implemented as soon as the option became available to the public. When we look into this section on our Xbox’s we should expect the New Releases to actually be New Releases and not a new way to purchase a specific title.

The XBLA has been such a success that it does surprise me that Microsoft haven’t utilised these options better. The platform has proven to be a capable method for getting retail games and even a few original experiences but with digital distribution becoming even more important in 2012 Microsoft should really improve their game and quickly.

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CES 2012 - Microsoft Conference

Those of you who caught our CES preview earlier this week will know that last night was the Microsoft CES Press Conference. Known for their big ideas this time of the year the conference was the stage for all the biggest announcements in the Windows line of future technology. How fitting that last night was also the final episode of the current Gadget Show series too.

The press conference began with a run down of Microsoft’s previous CES conferences which then moved quickly into discussions on the new Windows Phone. The particular points of interest included fully integrated voice commands and contact groups.

Microsoft then went into an explanation on the Nokia Lumia 710 which is scheduled for release on Wednesday 11^th January in the US with the Lumia 800 scheduled for release in a few months time. At the same time Microsoft also unveiled the Nokia Lumia 900 and the HTC Titan II which are the newest Windows Phones to date. In fact the Titan will come with a 16 megapixel camera and a large 4.7 inch OLED display.

On the PC front they revealed that 1.3 billion Windows machines are currently in worldwide circulation before they demoed Windows 8. This was present with the tagline ‘Windows reimagined’ and is designed to work with touch input as well as with the standard keyboard and mouse. Microsoft also included a new ‘picture password’ use to unlock a system as well as the new tiled interface to coincide with the Xbox 360 and the Windows Phone OS. The new operating system will also include full screen applications but listing of what will be available was pretty scarce.

Off the back of the new application information Microsoft also showed off what they have in mind with the Windows Store which is due to be released worldwide in February. Available in every language Windows is available this will included shared data, full screen realisation and semantic zoom. In contrast to ordinary graphical zoom, semantic zoom does not only change parameters of a graphical representation, but modifies the selection and structure of the data to be displayed. The developer build for Windows 8 will also be release in February and all Windows 7 PC’s will be ready for the change over on day one.

Microsoft closed out their presentation with an update on the Xbox 360 which they revealed has over 66 million current users with 40 million Xbox Live subscribers. Microsoft also announced that over 18 million Kinect units had been shipped to date.

Demo’s were shown of the new video apps available on Xbox Live including partnerships with Comcast and New Corp which will show Fox shows in the US like Fringe and Family Guy as well as content from IGN. Kinect integration was also shown on TV shows, allowing people to interact with their favourite programs. Kinect was also announced for Windows with a 1^st February release and is already supported by over 200 companies.

It’ll be interesting to see which pieces will be released on the same day here in the UK but as this shows, the year ahead is due to be very interesting indeed as Microsoft try to close the gap on their interactive competitors. There has been a lot of talk that desktop computers will slowly make way for tablet based hardware and Microsoft doesn’t want to miss the train.

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House Party 2012

So 2012 is here which can only mean one thing – game announcements and promotions. First off we all love a bit of XBLA; remember the greats like Torchlight and Beyond Good & Evil HD, well this year House Party is returning once again. While the Summer of Arcade might be the XBLA’s best-known promotion this years House Party look like it knows exactly how to compete.

Last years House Party offer started in February and ended in March and included some great games. While the newly announced House Party Collection doesn’t indicate any exact dates for release expect them to be released in Q1.

The games announced for the 2012 House Party are Alan Wake's American Nightmare, Warp, Nexuiz, and I Am Alive. While none of these have been played by the blog crew they have been highly recommended in their previews so far and the chance to final play I Am Alive is enough to excite me.

The games have a wide spectrum of genres under their belts; Nexiuz is a fast-paced shooter built on CryEngine 3, I Am Alive is the new XBLA survival apocalypse simulator, Warp is top down action puzzler that looks a bit like Mr. Splosion Man and Alan Wake’s American Nightmare is the action orientated sequel to the 2010 hit game.

Of course once the dates have been confirmed I will update you further but until them I hope you a salivating at the prospect of these excellent titles. Which one are you most excited about and why?

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2012's Big Xbox 360 Releases

2012 is finally here and we know that after Christmas and the New Year you’re probably as broke as I am but listen anyway…. You need to start saving every penny you can now if you want all the best games on offer in 2012. It’s going to be a big year and one that I think might well trump 2011 which itself had some fantastic new games.

So today is the day where I will be looking at some of the biggest games listed for a release over the next 12 months and let’s face it each of these really needs a spot in everyone’s collection (pending terrible reviews of course).

Final Fantasy XIII-2

The first big release of the year looks to take all the bits from the first game that we loved and fix those that we didn’t. With its release coming at the end of January for both Xbox 360 and on the PS3 it will feature the same fast paced strategy combat we all enjoyed and also throw in a less linear world. I’m exceptionally excited about this release and loved the first game even with all its problems.

Mass Effect 3

The final part of the trilogy is set to hit our stores in the UK during March and should be the best in the series. Mass Effect 2 was 2010’s big game and this looks to build on the successful history in a bigger, sexier and more expansive way. If you liked either of the last two outings with Commander Shepherd then this is due to be one of your favourite games this year. The addition of multiplayer can only be a good thing too.

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

This may have passed you by so far but is shaping up to be the action RPG of the year that could bridge the gap between the intense Dark Souls and the epic Skyrim. All the major previews have expressed just how brilliantly this is shaping up and everyone seems to be consistently impressed with the new EA published title. With 4 playable races and 5 distinct areas this game could eat up several dozen hours of your life.

Bioshock Infinite

If you loved the previous games than this is sure to have caught your eye, the underwater city of Rapture has been replaced with the floating hub called Columbia but looks to keep everything that make a Bioshock game great. The trailers look exciting and the gameplay appears to still be fast paced. If you’re a fan of killing Splicers then this won’t disappoint. It should also be an interesting dynamic between Booker (your playable character) and Elizabeth (your more then helpful ally). To say much more might ruin the story for you so just keep your eyes pealed for this and watch Ken Levine’s twitter for more information.

Halo 4

Master Chief is back for his forth outing in the hit franchise. Of course Cortana will be back too in a supporting role but both will have undergone serious character changes since the closure of Halo 3. Finally we can play as every budding space soldier’s hero again but where and when we are still unsure. Expect new gameplay features and possibly a new enemy too. 343 Industries have shown us their potential with their Halo Reach map packs and I’m sure they will live up to the history Bungie have given them to play with.

Street Fighter x Tekken

So this looks like every Beat’em Up fans wet dream… and rightly so. What I saw at the Eurogamer Expo this year was a fast, fluid combat system that allows fans of both games to get stuck right in. With a growing list of playable fighters this is shaping up to be the fighting game of the year and possibly of the generation.

Grand Theft Auto V

I’m sure you have all seen the trailer by now and in 2012 we can expect the new GTA to hit even more dazzling heights than the last. We don’t know the story, the protagonist or much else except that this will be set back in San Andreas but that is all we need. It’s time to get excited this will be out of this world.

Borderlands 2

The first Borderland is still a regular in my 360 as I attempt to slowly creep towards level 50… I know I’m slow right? Pandora was a wonderful place to explore even if it was rather brown. Borderland 2 though promises to be bigger, better and thankfully more colourful. I can’t wait to zap some bandits and aliens with another green rocket launcher that also makes enemies turn to ice.

Aliens: Colonial Marines

The Alien series has seen it’s up and it’s down with video games but after the horrendous outing of Aliens vs. Predator surely Colonial Marines can only head in the right direction. Gearbox Software have a history of creating well rounded shooters and I’m hoping this one lives up to the hype of the last game and gives the player a real sense of horror.

XCOM

Anyone who remembers the original game will know exactly why we are excited for this new instalment. The gameplay looks fresh and the visuals are stunning which can only be a good thing. Recently it was also announced that XCOM will have a new strategy title too that is sure to follow in the footsteps of its predecessor. For me though the real thrill will be playing this in the first person perspective.

2012 is realty shaping up to be another fantastic year… what are you looking forward to? Do you feel I’ve missed anything out?

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Most Played Games of 2011

At the closure of 2011 Raptr the gaming tracker website has revealed what its 10 million US members have spent their time playing throughout the year. Unsurprisingly for most the prize for ‘Most Played Game of 2011’ was Skyrim.

The statistics used for the assessment were broken down into different areas total play time, the average session length in the games first month of sale and the average play time per person on the opening week.

It’s no surprise that Modern Warfare 3 racked up more hours in total than Skyrim but it did falter in both the average session length and average playtime per person categories where Skyrim trumped MW3’s 2.92 hours with 23 hours of its own.

I suppose looking at those stats though it’s easy to see why MW3 is the Most Played Shooter of 2011; beating Gears of War 3 which landed in second place.

Skyrim also won Most Played RPG beating second placed Dragon Age 2 by an awful lot.

In the other areas FIFA 12 was Most Played Sports Game and L.A Noire was the Most Played New IP of 2011.

To be honest I think these were fairly predictable but did any of the results surprise you? If so sound off below.

Source: RAPTR

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Final Fantasy XIII-2 Demo

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is due for release next month and in keeping with my love of the series you should all make sure you have some time free next week.

Square Enix have today confirmed their intention to release a demo ahead of the worldwide release.

For us British types the demo will be released online on 11^th January which those lucky PS3 owners in America will get this on 10^th January instead.

Final Fantasy XIII-2 is shaping up to make amends for the problems within the original and from what I played at Eurogamer Expo this year we can expect a gorgeous looking and very playable RPG.

What do you expect the new Final Fantasy to be like? Are you looking forward to it or has the last one put you off?

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CES 2012

January is here and that can only mean one thing – time for the first Expo of the year – Consumer Electronics Show or CES for short.

This year the biggest names in technology will be heading to Las Vegas to show off their new products, demos and information on what the future holds and this gives us a pretty good idea on what the best tech will be over the next 12 months. On top of gaming this Expo covers smartphones, tablets, computers, TV’s and much more and will house 140,000 attendees (none from the public) before its doors finally close on Friday 13^th January.

Basically it’s a Gadget fans paradise and blends everything a budding cyborg needs under one massive roof.

CES is the best chance for us all to see what trends will be hitting us in the future and has been a staple base for many of the biggest game developers to show off their latest software and for the biggest hardware manufacturers to show what they are working on too.

This year you can expect slimmer TV’s, quad-core smartphones and the obvious updates to 3D entertainment. Sony and Microsoft will be in attendance over the course of the event so expect the new Windows updates to feature heavily.

No sites that I know of are doing a Live stream of the proceedings but expect several companies to stream their individual conferences independently so please let me know if you hear otherwise. Microsoft will be hosting a conference on 9^th January at 6:30pm PST which is 2:30am to us British folk.

Is there anything you expect to see on show or are you one of the lucky press-passers in attendance?

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2011 - The Awards

Before you say it I know this should have been posted in 2011 as this post will be about the year itself and what made it great. If any of you saw my tweets on New Years Eve (or lack of) you probably know what sort of standard lists are ahead but this will be a little expanded and will include all of 2011’s greatness and not just those that required an Xbox controller.

Film of the Year: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 2

Notable Mentions: Drive, XMEN: First Class, Troll Hunter

Harry Potter came to a close this year with one of the most action packed outings in this magical series. The characters continued to fight Lord Voldermort while the world worried if this would do the final book justice (we all know part 1 didn’t). Thankfully it lived up to expectations and was played out very well from set piece to set piece the action was fast and fluid.

TV Show of the Year: A Game of Thrones

Notable Mentions: Chuck, Community, Breaking Bad

Of course the best TV show this year was far and away ‘A Game of Thrones’. The series follows the first book in the Song of Fire and Ice sage almost to a tee but gave the audience so much more. Character progression was carried out well and we all know that we will be watching the next series with just as much excitement. A Clash of Kings (the second book) is a fantastic read and I can’t see the next series failing to live up to the hype.

Underrated Game of the Year: Bastion

Notable Mentions: Pilotwings 3D, Brink

Bastion got a few great reviews around its release date in the summer but even though this brilliant action RPG has sold half a million copies that’s half a million too little. Everyone should own this games; its gorgeous, fun, has a great variety of gameplay and some of the best narration you can hear in any video game past or present.

Overhyped Game of the Year: Duke Nukem: Forever

Notable Mentions: None Come Close

Did you expect anything less? The game that took years to develop looked like it took about 5 minutes; yes this was Duke at his sexist best/worse but it was also a diabolical creation that no-one should spend £40.00 on let alone the £10.00 it costs now. Do yourself a favour and punch yourself in the face for fun instead!

Worse Game of the Year: Brink

Notable Mentions: Thor, Green Lantern, Wipeout XBLA

Yes 2011 was the year of the poorly created games. Unfortunately Brink actually looked like it was going to be ok but ever since the first previews started hitting the web people knew this was going to be diabolical. The AI was almost non-existent and even playing online didn't really help matters. The class system was average and never really gave the player the feeling that they were ever different to anyone else. Unfortunately this was one of the worst FPS of the year and of the consoles lifecycle - and to think this could have been great too.

Game of the Year – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Notable Mentions: Batman: Arkham City, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Trine 2, Dead Space 2

Skyrim is my favourite game of the year, and I'm glad it's popular because it means they'll keep making stuff like this. But I also hope it prompts a few people in high places to have a long, hard think about whether enough is being done to make our games work properly out of the box. It is much easier to lose a consumer than to attract one. Still Skyrim is a fantastic piece of work that shows exactly why it’ll top forums for the next few years, be played for the next decade and remembered even longer.


2011 was a great year to be a gamer and I for one will be playing the games that came out well into 2012 and possibly further. I had a great year on this site and memorable moments throughout - from queueing in the wrong place at the Eurogamer Expo to finally finishing that extreme achievement on Trials HD. Here's to a wonderful 2012... again!

What did you think of 2011? Do you agree or disagree with any of our awards?

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