Review: James Cameron’s AVATAR: The Game

The game of the film of James Cameron’s AVATAR, I think it’s fair to say, was not hotly anticipated by many people. I thought it looked quite interesting, that maybe, just maybe, here was a movie game that could be held up as evidence that not all movie games were utter tripe. I was optimistic. Maybe, I thought, it wouldn’t be world-changing, but it might be solid enough to deserve praise

I wasn’t kind to the game in my tangent-heavy First Thirty, but the game has improved in my eyes since then. Now, rather than hating it’s insistance on burdening me with an 20-minute long, gameplay-free beginning, I’m disappointed with all the problems which ruin what could have been a good game. Hit the jump to find out why.
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Halfbrick Studios How-To On PS3 Minis

While Minis haven’t exactly been flooding the PlayStation Store since they arrived alongside the PSP Go this fall, there are some of them that have done a very good job of fitting the bill of an inexpensive game that is playable in short bursts and is still fun. In truth, most PSP games should fit that bill, but in case you do need to stop at any point one of my favorite features of the system — its sleep mode — comes to your rescue.

Anyway, the Minis are playable on the PS3 with the most recent 3.15 firmware update — well, almost. It turns out most of the Minis on the Store won’t get updated until the 22nd here in the US to allow them to also play on the PS3, but that’s right around the corner. To give PS3 owners a heads-up on exactly how this is going to work, Halfbrick Studios, the makers of two Mini games — Echoes and Blast Off! — has created this handy video that demos Blast Off in the process. Don’t take his word for it, though, IGN really likes Blast Off and gave it a very good review, calling it “the best mini yet”.

Rock Band 2 DLC: December 18th Edition

This week, Harmonix has a few newcomers for fans of Rock Band to download, as well as a returning fan favorite.

First off, we have the band Yellowcard hitting the Rock Band marketplace with their hit “Ocean Avenue”, followed up by Limp Bizkit and their new track, “Build a Bridge”.  Returning to the marketplace this week, are Weezer with three new tracks, including the smash hit “Beverly Hills”.  The Offspring also shows up this week with “A Lot Like Me”. 

Check the jump for all the pricing information and platforms.

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GOG.com Celebrates the Holidays with Free Games

Anyone here remember the Tex Murphy series of games?  You know, the detective series that was on PC in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  Later in the series they became familiar with gamers due to their use of full motion video with such renowned acting talent as Margot Kidder and Russell Means, but the original titles were great little adventure games, that were cheesy, yet fun to play.  They followed the standard model of point and click, puzzle solving and of course, reading lots of over the top writing.  The games are a bit outdated at this point, but they are a lot of fun to revisit from time to time to see what was hot in gaming back in the day.

Why do I bring all of this up?  Well, our good friends over at Good Old Games have decided to give gamers a little treat, by releasing the first two Tex Murphy games for the low price of free.  At 27MB in size, and with the guarantee that they will run in XP, Vista and Windows 7, there is no reason not to go over to the Tex Murphy page on gog.com and download them.    Get your free games, and then come back here to let us know what you think of these classic adventure game gems.

Topics: PC | Comments

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Dudes Can’t Look Like a Lady

I’ve no idea how many guys play as female MMO characters. In truth, I don’t really care. But apparently I’m in the minority, for Chinese MMO King of the World is intent on clamping down on female impersonation by introducing a new Gender Identity System.

No, gamers wishing to play as a female character won’t have to lift their tops (or drop their pants) to confirm their gender. The Gender Identity System scans faces via webcam and then assesses whether or not you’re female. If it turns out that you’re a guy trying to play as a female – or if you’re a woman with unfortunately manly features, presumably – you’ll be banned outright.

Bizarrely, this intrusive – and kind of offensive – step has been introduced by Aurora Technology to make ‘females feel respected’. Can you understand why a guy playing as a female character is any more ‘disrespectful’ than me choosing a male avatar when I play? No – me neither.

Via Destructoid

Review: Borderlands (PC)

Walking into Borderlands, I was unsure what to expect from the game.  From its onset, it had been plagued with comparisons to Fallout 3 or Diablo (including from yours truly), leading to the distinct possibility of it being lost in the holiday shuffle.  Along the way, a new art style, and surprisingly fun game mechanics sent Borderlands from being mediocre to becoming one of the best titles to come out in 2009.

When you get into Borderlands, the first thing you need to realize is that the story can be completely forgotten.  It is a chunk full of complete nonsense that is lost in the shuffle of all the action that happens on screen.  You and three other hopefuls have come to the planet of Pandora, looking to find a vast treasure that is kept in a location only known as the vault.  Shortly after your arrival, you are contacted by a strange woman via intercom that wants you to protect the vault from a group of mercenaries that have also come to Pandora to gain its power and wealth.  Yes, it is confusing and convoluted, but as stated before, you never really have to think about the story, as you are constantly on the go in Borderlands.  Action is around every corner, and the sheer number of main and side missions will keep you preoccupied.

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Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops, Plus, and Digital Graphic Novel hit PSN

Today’s PlayStation Store update include Snake’s best outing on the PSP to date, Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. It should end the tyranny of those $120 UMD copies of the game floating around at auction since it’s a $14.99 download. I have fond memories of checking to see just what kind of soldier would be generated by each and every WiFi access point I connected that game to. Those hungering for even more can pick up the not-so-well-received expansion Portable Ops Plus for $9.99. And if you’re after some well-drawn storytelling you can opt for the Metal Gear Solid: Digital Graphic Novel for $9.99 as well.

What this really means for me, though, is that once again I have entirely too many PS3 and PSP PSN games to buy when I make it at least part of the way through my existing considerable PS3 retail game backlog.

Seen on the PlayStation Blog.

Final Fantasy XIV Beta Open

While we’re on the subject of Final Fantasy, Square Enix have announced that they’re now accepting beta applications for FF XIV as of 2pm (PDT) yesterday.

To qualify you need to be at least 18 years old, have a PC and a Square Enix account, and be fluent in either English, French, German or Japanese. If you’re not successful with your application this time, don’t re-submit – the beta will be rolled out in stages, so even if you’re not successful now, it doesn’t mean you won’t still get a sneak peek further down the line.

FF XIV is scheduled for global release in 2010 on the PC and PS3. Visit www.finalfantasyxiv.com for more details.

Via JustPushStart

Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days Trailer Explains Little

Kane and Lynch 2 was announced not too long ago with a teaser trailer, but today, we got our first look at some of the elements that will be in place in the sequel.  It is taking place after the events in the first Kane and Lynch, and it seems as if Lynch is now with another woman.  Kane appears to be in the middle of some kind of event, where he and his crew are getting shot at.  Beyond that, we don’t see much else.

I do know one thing…I would like to see a better game the second time around.  We were pretty heavy handed on the first Kane and Lynch title, due to numerous bugs and glitchy multiplayer.  I would love to see a better designed engine, and more multiplayer maps this time around.  Also, in a two person game, Internet co-op should be standard, not forgotten.  But enough griping, lets just hope everything will go smoothly the second time around.

Mega Man 10 appears, infuriating those who’ve been mispronouncing Mega Man X

There are those who were excited about Mega Man 9 because they knew the series had ended at 8, and there were those who were excited about it because they thought Capcom had skipped straight to X, as in 10. Sticking the misconception right in those latter folks’ faces today is Capcom, who have released a Japanese trailer for the upcoming Mega Man 10, which appeared a few days ago in a Nintendo-released Q1 2010 schedule.

I gave Mega Man 9 full marks in my review, but I was quick to point out that it’s not for everyone. Mega Man 10 will apparently also have some kind of an easy mode. I’m wondering how that works. Less damage from enemies? Nets over all the bottomless pits? Marshmallows stuck on the instant-kill spikes?

There’s a Sheep Man in this game. I kid you not.

I hope the PSN version is made to run on PSP as well.

Source: 1up/GameVideos