Seriously people; it’s a free Xbox 360 and a free copy of the game, keyword being free.  Does it really matter they want to give you the ability to play the game you’ve been waiting for on a system you don’t prefer?  No, it doesn’t matter.  If you win it you can sell it if you hate the Xbox 360 that much.  That is, at least, $400 you can make easily by selling it or you can swallow your pride, be a real gamer, and enjoy your free stuff.  That’s $60 you can spend elsewhere if you choose not to sell it.  

Since Final Fantasy XIII was announced as a multi-platform game, Final Fantasy fans have been extremely vocal about how the series is a “Playstation” series; a ludicrous argument considering the first six games in the series appeared only on Nintendo platforms.  It may look prettier on the PS3 and you don’t have to switch discs, but does it change how the game is played?  Not at all; there isn’t one difference how the game is played between versions.  Each version has its upside and downside but at the end of the day, whether you’re pressing “X” or “A” to win, it’s Final Fantasy and more gamers than ever will be able to experience a great series.

[via Kotaku]

[via 9gag]

[via Connexion]

What you say?  Hyde (Danny Masterson) is a DJ?  This is new to me as well.  I had no idea acting wasn’t his only gig and by the sound of the remix, he’s a really good DJ too.  He goes by the name of DJ Mom Jeans and did the remix at the Final Fantasy XIII launch party.  Siliconera has a somewhat low quality download of the track for those of you who wish to listen to the remix on the go.  The embedded video below shows DJ Mom Jeans mixing the song live with video of Final Fantasy XIII playing behind him on a massive screen.  Enjoy.

[via GameSetWatch]

So here’s a picture of a giant rabbit.

This is far cooler than graffiti.  Yeah it disappears later, but who wouldn’t want a purple attack dragon in front of their store?

Finally, Vigil tells us what this mess is about the Darksiders mystery code!  For those that don’t remember, it’s the little piece of paper that looked like this.  I hope you still have it, because this is what Vigil says we’re getting:

A digital Hellbook disc featuring Darksiders art, videos, and other awesome stuff!

A free copy of Red Faction: Guerrilla, a third person shooter featuring fully destructible environments… on Mars!

Are you kidding!?  RF:G is a fantastic game!  I’m slightly disappointed though because I already have it; I need to play it still… anyway, that’s great for those of you that do not have this game!  It’s free, except for shipping and handling.  I can see why this deal took so long to come out.  It must be hard trying to negotiate gamers getting a free game!

The Darksiders site instructs to go to this link for the 360 version and this link for the PS3 version.  The deal is only good for U.S. residents and only until March 7th, so get those codes submitted!

[via Darksiders Community Site]

I vaguely remember going to see Toy Story in the theater when it came out.  It was neat to see a movie about someone close to my age who had these talking toys.  They came to life and moved around while he was gone and just wanted him to play with them.  I didn’t believe that stuff actually happened; I’m sure some kids did.  However, the movie gave me an appreciation of my toys and that I should take care of the stuff I own.

Now that Toy Story 3 is finally coming out, we will be able to see what happens as he gets older.  Andy’s going to college and that means it’s time to get rid of his old stuff.  Just like Andy, I went through this same reluctance/acceptance thing.  I was younger though, around seventh or eighth grade, when I felt it was time to give up all my action figures.  I had a neighbor who had two kids but no father.  I vaguely remember my grandmother trying to help them with a few things like giving them old clothes and such.

The kids were far too young for me so play with but I wanted to help too.  I had this humongous duffel bag of action figures and I remember handing it to the mother and telling her to give it to the kids.  She was extremely happy since she can’t buy her kids toys very often.  It was a good thing to do and I believe it helped cut my attachment to my toys, as well as a big development of maturity.

I have no idea what’s going to happen in Toy Story 3, whether they will make their way back to Andy or find a new child to entertain for fifteen or more years.  Personally, I hope they find a new child since it reflects my development and situations.  Although, I would also like to see Woody and Buzz make their way back to Andy and become a sort of collector piece to him.  It shows that it’s still okay to keep a few things around from your childhood, as long as it’s in moderation.  Keeping Pyramidas around isn’t something I would do.

I cannot wait for Toy Story 3 to release; it’s a deeper experience for me that gives me little waves of nostalgia every time I see the first two movies.  I’m sure Pixar made Toy Story 3 as great as the previous films; I’m ready for Andy to join in me adulthood.

Disney announced two new characters featured in Toy Story 3:  The adorable “Peas in a Pod” and Ken, Barbie’s boyfriend.  It’s likely the Peas in a Pod will have three completely different personalities that don’t get a long (or they finish each others sentences) and Ken will probably be an air head.  It’s possible Ken could be really smart with a huge ego but that dopey looking face doesn’t convince me.

We haven’t had an entry into the Toy Story franchise since 1999, but since it’s a Pixar movie, I have no doubt it’ll be a great film.  The time away from Toy Story hopefully gave Pixar time to craft a well written story that will capture us like both Toy Story movies did before.

If you haven’t seen the trailer for Toy Story 3, I’ve included it below to save you the trouble of hunting for it.

Toy Story 3 Official Trailer

Heartbreaking is the only word that can describe the carnage in these pictures.  NBC could have reworked for something different or even sold off the set pieces to fans to give part of the money to charity.  There’s a million other things that NBC could have done to put a positive spin on the closing of this drama; it’s as if a million Conando’s cried out at once, and suddenly, silenced.

You can find more photos here.

[via aaronbleyaert.tumblr.com]

I didn’t actually watch the game this year, but have instead browsed through the commercials online.  I can enjoy my favorite part of the big game without having to sit through the game; convenient.  In no particular order, I’ve included my favorite commercials from this year below.  Enjoy.

Doritos – Casket

Prince of Persia

Snickers – Football Game

KGB – Sumo

Budlight – Asteroid

Alice in Wonderland

Volkswagon – PunchDub

Doritos – Snack Attack Samurai

Doritos – House Rules

Doritos – Underdog

Obviously, the Doritos commercials were my favorite.  Really there weren’t any good Budweiser commercials this year.  I just didn’t find them that funny.

That was almost like dividing by zero.

Everybody’s favorite nerd, James Rolfe, is taking a well deserved break stated from an announcement on his official website.  James isn’t sure when this move will actually happen and for how long, but it will happen sometime soon.  James made two Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) videos a month, in addition to all of his other side projects which include Spike TV, Board James, Monster Madness, and many other video series.

Being a hobbyist video editor, I can sympathize with how much work goes into making these videos.  It’s not easy and it takes a long time for those videos to render, not to mention uploading to a website.  James states:

I play the game, write the script, shoot the video, edit the video, and then go straight to the next video. It’s been a constant race to get each video done in time, to keep up with the schedule. On top of that, when I want to put some extra work into a particular video, like Ninja Gaiden for example, I have to virtually invent new hours in the day, which sometimes means sleeping very little.

By producing AVGN videos less frequently, I will be able to keep the quality up, and save the series from becoming a routine and an obligation. I will also be able to put more time into other things such as Board James and other projects that have been on halt.

I believe James is making a good decision.  I’d love to see some new series from him and if it means I have to wait a little longer to see new AVGN videos, that’s ok with me; especially since the quality will increase from having more time to make the video.

If you haven’t seen an AVGN video before, I highly recommend it.  I’ve embedded his latest video as of this writing.  Behold: AVGN reviews Ninja Gaiden (excessive language.)

Remember that code you might have gotten with your copy of Darksiders?  Vigil sure is taking their sweet time announcing what the heck the thing does, but they’ve finally given us an update.  Their community website states they’ll be announcing what the code does next week.

I’m willing to bet it’s some type of artwork from Joe Madureira, the main art director for Darksiders.  Even better if it’s a real-life Chaoseater so I can slay me some demons.

If there was an awards show for commercials, Embrace Life by Sussex Safer Roads should win in every category.  It’s simple message about wearing your seat belt is conveyed so beautifully and effectively, it will stick with you long after viewing; all without resorting to shock and scare tactics used in so many high schools and driving courses.  It’s a great example of what stellar film direction,  music, lighting, and acting can do.

Yes, it’s cheaper and easier to show accidents or have people talk to a camera but this type of film can touch you on a deeper level.  The way the camera pans and holds on the man’s wife and daughter make you think farther than yourself.  It helps you remember it’s not just you that gets hurt in an accident.  Seeing their smiles fade from their faces almost makes it hard to watch.

I know it’s just a commercial but what if everything on television was made with such care?  I would be watching a little more often and a little more intently.

[via Unreality Mag]

St. Louis was supposed to get a ton of snow all weekend.  Not nearly as much as the above picture (which is Seattle by the way) but it was a big snow for the St. Louis area.  It never actually happened.  This morning it finally started to snow and they’re predicting no less than 5″ by tomorrow.  Took long enough.

I don’t mind snow; I like it a lot actually.  What I don’t like is when it prevents me from doing things I want.  If we get the snow we’re supposed to get, there’s a huge possibility my plans for Tuesday won’t pan out.  Brittany and I have started a middle school Bible discussion group at our church which we’ve planned for weeks.  We finally went over the last details with the youth pastor, handed out invites to the kids that will be in our specific group, then the weather decides to dump a ton of snow.

The snow shouldn’t be too bad to drive in but most parent’s won’t want to drive their kids around during or immediately after the snow storm.  I’ve been nervous but looking forward to it for a few weeks now; having it pushed back at the last second isn’t too bad but it still kind of sucks.  The most I can do is pray the snow won’t be too bad or clears up by Tuesday evening.  If not, that’s ok; we’ll just start a week late.

Speaking of busy weeks, Brittany and I finally started our wedding registry at Target; started being the key word.  We got through bedding, bath and half of kitchen before our battery started running low on our gun.  It was a lot of fun though.  I believe we were there for about two and a half hours but it didn’t feel like it.  We were having so much fun we didn’t notice our feet screaming in pain until it was time to leave.  Of course I scanned my fiancée no less than five times.

I have no idea how to end this so here’s a Dorito Samurai.

The first time I saw screen shots of Darksiders, I fell in love immediately.  The art style pulled me in and I the story idea made my mouth water.  One of the four horseman of the apocalypse takes on heaven and hell to clear his name of starting the end of days early; count me in!  I was even more intrigued toward the end of last year when rumors of the game being very Zelda-like started to circulate.  A mature themed Zelda style game sounds like a very good idea.  I was not disappointed.

Darksiders opens with a Metroid-style  level where your character War, one of the four horseman of the apocalypse, has access to most of his combat skills, including turning into a giant raging demon.  This level serves as a very basic tutorial of movement and combat, with a boss at the end of the level who’s featured in the header image.  For reasons I won’t explain here, War is accused of causing the apocalypse early and is sent back to earth to find who actually did it.  Unfortunately for us humans, War arrives a hundred years too late and humans have all turned into zombies.

Darksiders starts off pretty slow.  Until you get to the first temple, this is still a tutorial section of sorts.  You’ll only have one attack and combo and no skills.  This changes quickly as you’ll meet up with the shopkeeper named Vulgrim.  He’ll trade you skills for souls, somewhat like Devil May Cry.  You’ll also meet with Samael quickly, who can give you access to the black tower looming in the distance.  However, he needs you to slay four guardians that guard the tower.  This is when the Darksiders starts to open up.

Samael and Vulgrim; a pretty ugly pair.

The rumors were correct about Darksiders being Zelda-like.  You eventually get an item call the crossblade and the abyssal chain which is similar to the boomerang and hookshot in the Zelda series; the difference being that these items are useable and sometimes necessary in combat.  War also has four different magic attacks called Wrath which are very powerful but expensive to get and use.  War will regain his ability to turn into demon form and you’ll even get a horse named Ruin.

That’s not everything War gains over the course of the game but you can see how the combat will open up over time.  By the end of the game, I was pulling off some crazy maneuvers and it was always very satisfying killing some of the tougher enemies.  Some of those enemies are very tough; dodging and counter-attacking become very important against some enemies.

Ruin is totally better than Epona.

During the course of the game, you’ll come across sections you can’t access yet.  Of course this means you’ll be returning later when you get new items that will open up those sections.  There are also a few of these areas in some of the temples so you may not have seen the last of a particular area.  Don’t worry about having a guide to help you find all the items and chests in the game though.  Later on you’ll receive an item, should you find it, that will show chests and secrets on the map screen; very helpful.

Bosses in the game are huge and screen filling.  Each boss has a weakness, which usually involves the item you just found in the temple, that makes killing it that much easier.  Don’t be fooled though, not all of them are pushovers which will give you some satisfaction when you destroy them in an awesomely gory cut-scene.

There is a special armor set you can find in the game called the Abyssal Armor.  If you manage to find all 10 pieces, beat the game and start a new one, you can carry over the armor to your new play-through.  I recommend enjoying the story on normal mode and if you wish to return to the game, playing through on Apocalyptic with the Abyssal Armor.  It will make the hard difficulty a little more manageable.

(left) War in chaos form.

Darksiders ends well, closing up all major plot points it opens up.  It does a very good job of leaving it open for a sequel, which was just announced, and delivering a satisfying conclusion although the last battle leaves a little left to be desired.

Darksiders is a great game that no gamer should pass up.  It has a slow start that picks up steam and delivers an epic story if you give it a chance.  It has everything going for it: an epic story, fun game-play, fantastic art style, and great voice acting which features Mark Hamill as the Watcher, your demon guide.  I highly recommend Darksiders to anyone looking for a great game to kick-start 2010 with.

[images from ign.com]

Trying to play Mass Effect 2 on a standard definition television and having a hard time reading the tiny text?  You’re not alone but apparently, BioWare can’t fix the issue through a title update.  BioWare stated “we have taken note of this issue and will take it into consideration as we plan future games in the Mass Effect franchise”  Alexander Sliwinski of Joystiq was noticeably irritated with the statement saying “Um, how about all future BioWare games? SDTVs are apparently still quite prevalent.”

This same issue has come up in two games before it:  Dead Rising by Capcom and Banjo & Kazooie – Nuts and Bolts by Rare.  Capcom issued a similar statement as BioWare while Rare was able to fix the issue through a title update.  As Alexander states, many players are still using SDTVs and it’s very unfortunate that a large player base will be left scratching their heads and guessing at certain pieces of information.  If other games are able to take this into account, why do some games still have this issue?  Surely something can be done to keep this from happening during the design process.

Luckily, this issue has only happened three times so far but two of those three incidents were for very popular and hyped games; the affected number of users is increased.  I know many people who would simply choose to not play the game, including myself when it came up the first time with Dead Rising.  Developers should take more care considering their audience and their playing environment.  It can sound like the developer isn’t paying attention to the guy who can only buy a game every couple of months, even if the effect is unintentional.  It’s likely that same guy doesn’t have a humongous tv to play on; HDTV’s are ridiculously expensive for a decent one.

[via Joystiq]

[via College Humor]

Do you like your Halos not numbered in threes?  Shooting your friends online with reckless abandon?  Come April 15th, Microsoft is shutting down Xbox LIVE for Xbox and online play for Xbox Originals.  You will still be able to play the single player campaigns for any Xbox Originals you’ve downloaded and any Xbox games you’ve stuck into the disc tray, except for the online portions.

Microsoft’s Marc Whitten said:

This isn’t a decision we made lightly, but after careful consideration, it is clear this will provide the greatest benefit to the Xbox LIVE community.  I want to assure you that the best is yet to come for Xbox LIVE.  I believe we’ll look back on 2010 as a landmark year in gaming and home entertainment, and I couldn’t be more excited about what we have in store with “Project Natal” and LIVE.  [via IGN]

What is this benefit that Marc is speaking of?  The LIVE friends list has a cap of 100 people; the reason for that is supporting online play for Halo 2.  We can assume Microsoft will remove the friends list cap in the very near future, at least sometime this year.  I don’t play online games much, but I’m sure there’s more than few players who will find this new feature to come extremely useful.

Without the overhead of those on the original LIVE service, I can scarcely imagine what Microsoft could do to Xbox LIVE .  Hopefully they’ll announce a list of changes and upgrades after April 15th so we have something more to look forward to than just more friends.

If you’re one of the players that’s negatively affected by this, here is a short list of popular Xbox games that will no longer work online.  If you used to play online, you might want to pop your old friend back in for one last deathmatch.

• Halo 2
• Counter-Strike
• Burnout 3
• Burnout Revenge
• Ghost Recon
• Call of Duty 2
• Call of Duty 3
• Dead or Alive Ultimate
• Doom 3
• Star Wars: Battlefront 2
• Forza
• Rainbow Six 3
• Mechassault 2
• Star Wars: Republic Commando
• Crimson Skies

[via Kotaku, Destructoid]

These images started with the original Legend of Zelda on NES.  When Link first receives his sword, the old man says “It’s dangerous to go alone.  Here, take this.”  Usually the images you’ll find with this meme feature cute critters like cats, puppies, and bunnies.  Personally, I think this is the best one.  You can’t top a shark… well maybe a shark with lasers can but it’s still a shark.

I could not imagine running through a field at night and accidentally shining your flashlight on this monstrosity of a scarecrow.  This is the stuff that nightmares are made of people.

[via Buzzfeed]

Project Needlemouse has finally been given a name: Sonic The Hedgehog 4 and it’s coming to Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 this summer.  Sure it sounds bland, but since Sega is naming this as a numbered Sonic means they’re trying to return to what made this series great.  Staying true to Sonic’s original concept, Sonic 4 will be the first true side-scrolling sequel since 1994′s Sonic 3.

In a Gamespot interview with Sega’s Ken Balough, we discover Sonic 4 is episodic and that the story will pickup where Sonic & Knuckles left off.  Sonic 4 will feature the established 2-D game-play fans know and love but will also incorporate some new power-ups and possibly new moves.  The game will also have leaderboards and the Wii and PS3 versions will feature some type of motion control; it’s not confirmed what the motion control will actually do.

I’m skeptical about this episodic method of delivery, specifically for Sonic 4.  The original trilogy had different zones composed of a few short levels, about 3 – 4.  Due to how fast Sonic moves through levels, the episodes could be extremely quick to play, good players finishing in just a few minutes.  If the game is a weekly release, I could see how this will work.  It would keep Sonic fresh in the minds of gamers and keep them looking forward to the next release without having too long of a wait.

The official trailer, embedded below, shows a very quick taste of what’s to come.  Enjoy, and let the hype begin.

[via Gamespot]