If touch-screen interfaces float your boat, then take a look…. here.

Is Modern Warfare 2 getting a tad bit stale?  Looks like the developers are releasing a bit of an addition come the end of March.

Hit the jump for more.

No word yet on what exactly is to be included in the DLC, but it seems fairly obvious that the 360 will be getting at least a map pack.  It has been rumored that other updates, like additional co-op missions, may be released also.

Click the pic above to be redirected to the announcement site.

**UPDATE**

According to a Major Nelson interview with Robert Bowling, seems some final details and a price have been attached to the Stimulus Package DLC.

1200MP…. 1200…..   That is correct.  For a map pack release of 3 new maps and 2 community favorites from Modern Warfare (Crash and Overgrown), you’ll be expected to shell out $15.  Indeed.

Catch the entire interview with map descriptions and a little Infinity Ward PR here.

All hands are on deck for this Geekcast.

We talk about the newly released Bioshock 2.  We try our hands at the Heavy Rain and Aliens Vs. Predator demos.  Nazi-ravaged France gets a gander as we discuss Saboteur.  Random banter and news of the week is also to be had.

You can give it a listen after the jump or snag it from iTunes.

[podcast]http://geekspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Geekcast_7.mp3[/podcast]

You can check out the Fallout: New Vegas Trailer here.

The new Battle.net video can be enjoyed here.

The intro of the second title in the series finds the player controlling Subject Delta, a Big Daddy with little to no memories of his past. Delta wakes up a decade after the events of Bioshock to the voice of familiar secondary character Brigid Tenenbaum. It seems over the last 10 years, things have been getting even worse in Rapture. For those familiar with the shit/fan levels of discord in the first title, one can imagine that the city is pretty biblically boned. Thanks to the atmospheric Big Daddy suit, you’ll be able to wade through the damaged and submerged portions of Rapture, as well as a few trips out to the ocean floor, allowing you to gain some pretty awe inspiring vistas of the underwater metropolis.

One new feature that was never introduced in the first title is the multiplayer mode. Fans of FPS mainstays like Call of Duty and Halo will find a lot of familiar mechanics here. Individual Loadouts can be arranged to combine a vast number of weapons, plasmids, and gene enhancers for your character. These weapons and plasmids are unlocked by gaining experience, or ADAM in this case.

ADAM is acquired through many different means. Hacking a gun turret to only target your opponents will earn you ADAM, not to mention giving you an advantageous position on the field. Killing your opponents and then researching their corpses to gain a damage boost against them will also earn ADAM. ADAM can even be collected in vials which are spawned only once in areas all over the maps detailed environments and secret passages. All of these things combine to force the players to stay moving around the field in order to take advantage of opportunities to gain ADAM.

There are several different modes of play, including renditions of Free-for-all, Team Deathmatch, Territories, and Capture the Little Sister. All of these game types feature the 1959 Civil War between Atlas and Ryan, with the player fighting on the side of one of the charismatic would-be-Rulers of Rapture. The whole experience is wrapped up in a stylish hub where your character can change weapon loadouts, costumes, and listen to audio journals from the main characters as they fight through this Civil War. Everything blends together to create a multiplayer experience that feels more like a canonical account of the civil strife going on in Rapture during the actions of the first Bioshock title. The multiplayer experience is innovative and easily on par with many of the other popular multiplayer titles out right now.

My only issue with the feature so far has been a small margin (approx. 5-10%) of matches which were cripplingly laggy. I’m sure this could merely be the rush on the servers for being the first day of release, or an early bug that will be quickly resolved. Time will tell, but for now I think that the inconvenience is minor enough to ignore for the sake of such a fresh multiplayer dynamic.

One of the other main differences in the first two titles is the ability to dual-wield plasmids and weapons. This allows players to execute a quick left trigger freeze plasmid followed by a right trigger shotgun blast moments later, causing the splicer on the receiving end to shatter into pieces. The hacking mini-game has been replaced as well, with focus on mid-combat hacking being a very viable option. Instead of completing series of tubes, you’re now tasked with stopping a moving needle on green zones instead of red zones. The rest of the action will not be paused however, requiring you to dive into cover in order to turn a sentry gun against your enemies.

All things considered, I think the game is innovative enough to warrant some more accolades to be piled onto 2K Marin’s titan shoulders. It remains to be seen if and when the lag issues will be dealt with, so unless you’re the type that doesn’t mind the occasional setback, you may want to wait a bit before dropping any money on the title. Otherwise, I think the innovative multiplayer is more then ample enough to warrant a solid regret-free purchase. One more thing, if you can still manage to get the swag-riddled Collector’s Edition, don’t make my mistake of missing out on it. Buy the damn thing, the multitude of goodies are more than worth the cash.

Find out more after the jump.

Many of the game mechanics follow in the footsteps of musical puzzle giant Lumines. The player is tasked with placing Tetris-like blocks across a large grid as a bar moves across the screen to the tempo of the audio track. Placing these pieces in a manner that creates at least a 3×3 square will form what is known as a “quad”. These quads will fill up slowly and can be expanded for as long as the quad continues to fill up. Once the quad fills completely, it is stamped into the grid, gaining Coverage of the board.  The goal is to attain as close to 100% coverage to gain points and unlock new levels.

Each level features a unique track donated pro-bono by musical artists Moby, Phillip Glass, Paul Hartnoll, Fred Deakin, and Marcus Schulz. Depending on the size and shape of active quads, a variety of audio layers will be added to the audio track. Meanwhile, the rest of your inactive bricks will provide different chime effects as the bar scans across them on the grid. This builds up slowly in the beginning, but once you start keeping up with multiple active quads at one time and covering the board with bricks, the audio experience intensifies.

There are two play modes, Timed Mode and Free Mode. Timed mode gives you either three, six, or nine minutes to cover the board as many times as possible, with coverage earning you more time. Free Mode lets you handle things at your own pace, giving you no time frame to cover the board.

Multiple leaderboards are the only Live capable portion of the game right now, but if this version is successful, future iterations could potentially include multiplayer.

All in all, the price is right at only 5 dollars considering there are only 5 tracks to play with right now. If you’ve got the points burning a hole in your pocket, and you’re a fan of musical games like Lumines and Frequency, by all means give Chime a shot. Also, you’ll be met with a rather cute achievement as soon as you purchase the game.

<EDIT> Thanks to Retodon8 from Gamerdna for linking to this Youtube tutorial by game developers Zoe Mode. The vid does a great job emphasizing all above points made. </EDIT>

A new month and a new Geekcast.

This week we cover some of the finer things as we wait for the next wave of great games. We discuss many different movies this week from comic spin-off movies to zombie post-apocalyptic movies. We also talk about some of the news that was dropped over the week, such as a circular Monopoly.

You can give it a listen after the jump or download from iTunes.

[podcast]http://geekspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/geekcast-6.mp3[/podcast]

Also, below is the new, more informative, international trailer of Kick-Ass mentioned in the cast.

Based on the first trailer released for Cop Out, I was kind of scared.  It looked like Kevin Smith might have lost it.  However, if you’ve seen any Smith movie, you know that censorship is a cruel mistress to his style.

The new red band trailer (meaning NSFW) winds up a little better.  Doesn’t look like it’ll be one of his best films, but it could easily be a hilarious matinee or rental.  Besides, Bruce Willis doing dick jokes can’t be all that bad.

Catch the video after the jump.

In Return to Ostagar, the player is tasked with returning to the battlefield of Ostagar where a majority of the Grey Wardens were exterminated by the Darkspawn. Arriving on the scene, you find there are no survivors and a lot of Darkspawn to be punished. Along your way, you’ll reclaim the lost arms and armor of King Cailan and Duncan. Not only do these look pretty cool, they are statistically superior to much of the armor in the game.

This is basically where the content stops, however. Ostagar hasn’t changed much, aside from now being covered in snow and in a state of crumbling disrepair. There is one additional achievement to be earned, and all in all the Return to Ostagar mission takes all of 30 minutes if you’re quick about it. For the amount of content, I can’t personally see what caused all the delays.

The price point seems to be on par with the rest of the DLC for the title. 15 bucks will get you a new character and a few new quests and items. 7 bucks will get you a new quest, a storage box, some new powers, and some new items. And apparently for 5 bucks you can just get a new quest and some items. If you’ve already got the MS points burning a hole in your pocket, or 5 bucks is just a trifle to you, by all means add this little bit of spice to your already zesty RPG experience. If not, I would certainly wait for the chance of a sale or DLC bundle to be released on the cheap.

First, a brief history lesson. The game is directed by Hideki Kamiya, the man behind Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe. The development team at the helm of the project is Platinum Games, many of whom used to be a part Capcom’s Clover Studios. As such, the team draws powerful inspiration from their previous works including Okami and Mad World. Now, add publisher Sega and their vast library of intellectual property to the mix, and you have not only a creature of exceptional breeding, but a massive nod to just about every game in the action genre. If you are a gamer who has been anywhere but under a rock for the past decade, there’s bound to be plenty of referential humor to make you chuckle. I won’t spoil too many of them for you, but one entire level is practically a complete remake of the first level of Sega’s arcade shooter Space Harrier, replete with modernized background music.

Referential humor aside, the gameplay mechanics here are solid. Strap guns to not only the wrists of the main character, but also the heels of her shoes, then give her a variety of melee weapons, and you have the makings of a devastatingly immersive combo system. Jumping, dodging, punching, and kicking seamlessly blend together to perform fluid variations of whoop-ass. The game also throws in an alchemy mini-game that allows you to throw together lollipop power-ups and other items by using materials gained through beating up enemies and exploration. Bayonetta offers an Easy and Very Easy difficulty for those looking for a much more casual instant gratification approach to their gaming.

Having played the game for just over 8 hours, and on Easy mode no less, I am only coming to the conclusion of my first play-through. So, if you are a fan of the action genre and enjoy throwing over the top combos through multiple completions of the 10 hour campaign, this may very well be worth the money to throw down on your very own copy. For the uncertain, I would definitely drop this in your Gamefly queue or pick it up from your local purveyor of rentable media and give the thing a quick once-over. For the really, really uncertain, well I guess you’ll just have to wait until I render my final verdict.

Second Geekcast for the year: so far so good!

This week, we delve into what you and your Shepard can expect in Mass Effect 2. We give the run down and review Borderlands. Things get heated as we talk about the over the top Bayonetta. We review Gamer and its possible insight on what we might expect for future gamers. We also tackle the big elephant of the week, the iPad. And it is all wrapped up nice and tight with a WTF Tyler finale.

You can listen to it all after the jump or download it off iTunes.

[podcast]http://geekspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Geekcast_5.mp3[/podcast]

Also, you can check out some of the WTF content Tyler was talking about here.

Early this week, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit rejected the claims in a lawsuit that challenged a ban on Dungeons and Dragons by the Waupun Correctional Institution in Wisconsin.

The law suit was brought by prisoner Kevin T. Singer, arguing that the First and 14th amendment were violated by the prison’s decision to ban DnD. With the decision also came the confiscation of his books, a 96-page manuscript he wrote, and additional materials.

The basis which the prison determined that they could slight of hand Mr. Singer was based off a recommendation of the prison’s specialist on gangs. Citing that “it could lead to gang behavior and fantasies about escape” and could “foster an inmate’s obsession with escaping from the real-life correctional environment, fostering hostility, violence and escape behavior.”

Mr. Singer, who had been a DnD player since childhood, was sentenced to life in prison in 2002 for bludgeoning and ultimately stabbing his sister’s boyfriend to death (after discovering the victim possessed bludgeoning damage resistance).

The real kicker is the court acknowledged that there was no evidence of gangs acting destructively due to playing DnD, but still ruled the prison’s decision legitimate.

The irony behind all of this is that the origins of DnD stem from Wisconsin…

[source NYT]

]]> http://geekspective.com/4423/dungeons-dragons-still-banned-in-prison/feed/ 0 http://geekspective.com/4409/gen-con-indy-2010-pre-registration-is-go/ http://geekspective.com/4409/gen-con-indy-2010-pre-registration-is-go/#comments Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:00:27 +0000 Josh Long http://geekspective.com/?p=4409

It is a new year, and with it comes another year of Gen Con. If you are like us, you cannot wait to attend and will be glad to know that you can officially pre-register for badges now!

4-day badges this year will run you $68.00. Single day badges for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday will run $38.00 apiece, while Sunday will only cost $28.

For those that have too much money to spend, laying down $500 will get you the VIG package. Also for those interested, trade day is $100.

You can chose accordingly and pre-register at the official Gen Con website here.

Other important Gen Con 2010 dates:

• Housing opens Tuesday, January 26, 2010, at 12:00 noon (Eastern).
• Event Pre-Registration begins Sunday, April 11, 2010, at 12:00 noon (Eastern).
• Badge and Event Pre-Registration close Saturday, June 19, 2010, at 11:59 pm (Eastern). All shipping method changes must be requested by this time.
• Extended Badge and Event Registration opens for Will Call only orders at full onsite price on Sunday, June 20, 2010.

We are back with a new year and a new resolve: to bring you a geekcast every week! To start off the year, we have made Tyler evolve into a human whom no longer speaks like a bee.

This week’s geekcast covers mostly gaming and movies. We talk about and review Torchlight and Assassin’s Creed 2, discuss the huge wave of games coming out, and delve into the world of Avatar.

You can give it a listen after the jump or download it off iTunes.

[podcast]http://geekspective.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/geekcast-4.mp3[/podcast]

As always feel free to leave a comment below or email us at geekcast@geekspective.com.

As mentioned in the podcast, the Rooster Teeth comic can be found here.

Also kind of random, but I find this video to be a funny, yet pretty spot-on portrayal of Torchlight.

Atlus continues its streak of Persona for the PSP with the announcement that they will be publishing Persona 3 Portable for the PSP. While Persona 3 for the PS2 was a huge hit and introduced many people to the Persona series, Persona 3 Portable looks to enhance the original game and add mechanics that were introduced in Persona 4. In addition players will be able to play a new female protagonist.

As the female protagonist there will be new social links to experience and unique romantic experiences. Players will also be able to control their teammates players, use skill cards, get a part-time job, and be able to chose from five difficulty settings.

Atlus claims that with all the new content, Persona 3 Portable will add dozens of hours of play to the original 100+ hour Persona 3 game.

Persona 3 Portable will be available on UMD and PSN July 6, 2010. You can check out the official Persona 3 Portable site here.

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It’s been almost three years since the last Armored Core game release on console. There has been a couple of re-releases of Armored Core games on the PSP but no games on the console front. Thankfully, From Software recently announced its fourteenth installment of the series Armored Core 5, which will be for the PS3 and Xbox360.

You can check out the announcement video and robot/explosion gallery after the break.

Crazy fast robots with heated chainsaws on them… how can they go wrong? Hopefully, this time the multiplayer will perform better than the last console installment. You can check out the official Armored Core 5 website here.

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