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Deal of the Week: Bionic Commando Rearmed (400 MSP)

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This week's "Deal of the Week" for Xbox 360 Owners is Bionic Commando Rearmed for only 400 Microsoft Points.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew

Download Link: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/00000001-0000-4000-8000-0000584108f1?cid=SLink


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Duke Nukem Never

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With the shut down of 3D Realms, it seems that Duke Nukem Forever will be delayed even more, after over a decade of development time. Take-Two Interactive still owns the publishing rights to Duke Nukem Forever and does not have plans thus far to provide funding for the completion of the much awaited game. Take-Two has also filed a law suit against 3D Realms for failure to complete the game and a depletion of Take-Two resources and capital. Looks like it is back to waiting for Alan Wake.

Enjoy?
The VGToday Crew


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1 vs 100 Prizes Teased

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With the release of the Primetime feature and "1 vs 100" rapidly approaching for Xbox Live Gold Members, a new trailer has been released from the Microsoft Vaults. This particular trailer shows a sneak peak at some of the possible prizes. These prizes, as expected, are redeemable items on the XBL marketplace. For example some of the prizes shown include 40,000 Microsoft Points, 800 Microsoft Point Arcade Games, etc. Hit the jump for the video.

Here is a link to Joystiq's article on the prizes (With a video included): Click Me!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Status of VGToday

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I have decided to bring back the regular blogging as well as the weekly GamerscoreWeekly podcast. Alot of the staff have retired, so comment here if you are interested in joining the team.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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E74 Under 3-Year Warranty

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You heard it right, Microsoft is [finally] covering the E74 error message under the three year warranty that previously only included the 3 light "Red Rings of Death (RRoD)". Microsoft stated that the E74 message means that your box has general hardware failure, the same as the "RRoD", so it will be covered like the RRoD is. If you have EVER previously paid to have a E74 error repaired, Microsoft is contacting people to give out 100$ refunds. If you do not get contacted within a month, you are advised to call support.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew!


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GamerscoreWeekly Ep. 2: Gears of War 2

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Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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GamerscoreWeeklyEp.1: Civilization Revolution

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Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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A New Direction

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Due to the recent lack of any blogging, VGToday is moving to the Audio Front. VGToday will not be doing weekly podcasts to replace the lack of blogging. We will have our first podcast in 2-3 weeks, if you're interested in being part of this podcast please leave a comment here with contact information!

UPDATE! Read Here

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Sorry!

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You have no doubt noticed that no posts have been made on VGToday in a long time. This is due to some staff inactivity, staff deciding to leave, my computer breaking, and dealing with my Xbox getting RRoD. We will be starting again tomorrow.

Also, note that the Feedburner stats on the right are inaccurate again, showing a fair amount of subscriptions not there. I will contact Google about this, and get it fixed ASAP.

Thanks for you guys' patience!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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More Coming Soon...

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You have probably noticed our lack of posts lately, but that is all changing soon! We have all been really busy getting into this new year and I have opened up my new website (Click Here), which has kept me busy. We will start back up with the latest news next Monday!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Killzone 2 Review

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Can a single title save Sony's plight and ignite flagging PS3 sales? It's unlikely. Is Guerrilla Games' effort a defining PS3 exclusive blockbuster, which will at least assure long-suffering PS3 owners? Definitely. Is it worth forking out for a PS3? ... Possibly.

Ever since Sony's infamous use of CG sequences to demonstrate the "possibilities" offered by the PS3 back in 2005, Guerrilla Games' flagship title has found itself under a tremendous degree of scrutiny. Could the PS3 actually manage to pull off the visual quality hinted towards, or was it all just smoke and mirrors? Let's admit it; it wouldn't be the first time Sony has resorted to such trickery.

If rumours are led to be believed then a considerable budget and access to Sony's finest tools, technology, and talent have certainly helped to ensure KillZone 2 is worthy of that footage. Purists could argue that such fidelity is restricted to a handful of sections within KillZone 2 and they're largely cut-scenes. But there's little denying that Guerrilla Games' first PS3 title is a visual masterpiece, eclipsing everything we've seen so far on the format and putting the likes of Gears of War into its place.


Picking up the events two years after the original KillZone, Guerrilla Games has deliberately ensured knowledge of the 2004 PS2 title is not a pre-requisite to enjoy the action. An entirely new cast of characters face this struggle between the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) and the Helghan, with the return of Col. Jan Templar providing the only real link to the first game. The ISA's attack on the Helghast planet of Helghan also brings us up to date with the continuing battle between both factions and explores the deeper reasons of why.

So begins eight chapters of pretty intense shooter action. Let's get this out of the way immediately, KillZone 2 isn't the greatest first-person shooter ever created, but then again neither was Halo. Half Life 2 and Modern Warfare still manage to share that honour. But KillZone 2 doesn't need to be. Beyond ensuring a solid shooter experience, the key requisite for KillZone 2 is (rightfully or wrongfully) whether Guerrilla could actually pull it off. And in answer to this, PS3 fans will be happy to know it's a most certain yes. "Hollywood Realism" is the wonderfully opaque term Guerrilla Games has used to describe KillZone 2, something that actually isn't merely the hyperbole that it suggests. There's a constant sense of dynamism to KillZone 2 and the world of Helghan. Wind gushes across the Helghan terrain to create a convincing sense of atmosphere that you can almost feel, while the forceful physics engine creates a gameworld that's utterly believable. Objects fly across the sky when the action heats up, yet there's a sense of solidity to everything unlike the many flimsy, plastic examples we've seen in other shooters.

Unfortunately, although the game captures the visual flair of those trailers, it rarely manages to capture the diversity and concept in terms of the mission challenges and gameplay. All too often the game falls down into familiar territory, with only the occasional section straying beyond the genre's conventions of shooting increasingly tougher opponents. Although KillZone 2 ticks many of the boxes for a solid fps experience, throwing ambushes, squad, and solitary sections into the mix, the game's pacing and occasional bland level designs prevent it from reaching the echelons of the genre's finest. Guerrilla hasn't attempted to throw anything new into the mix, and who can blame them when the pressure was on to deliver the PS3's visual magnum opus? The strict reliance on the check boxes however is a little too stringent for our liking, and whilst sections such as the assault on a speeding train are solid enough, the overwhelming sensation is one of 'seen it all before'!


The assortment of arms is what you'd expect from a shooter with even the more creative Helghast weaponry failing to offer anything that feels particularly new. Equally the handful of sections that require you to jump aboard a tank feel as though they're included just because other shooters have vehicular sections. There are exceptions: jumping onboard the AA guns onboard the ISA Cruiser New Sun feels closer to Star Wars than most other attempts ("great kid, don't get cocky"), while the mech section later in the game is pretty remarkable - all the more surprising considering we're not traditionally fond of mechs in shooters (Quake IV anyone?).

The covering system is the exception. Its implementation can be compared to that of the Rainbow Six Vegas series, just without the gimmicky need to switch the view to a third-person. Tapping a shoulder button attaches you to the nearest wall or object, with the ability to move around it and lean and peek out of cover to shoot. It's not without its problems, but it does provide a more tangible blend of old-school PC style and newer examples without degenerating into the virtual equivalent of whack-a-mole.

Guerrilla certainly deserves credit for its implementation of motion-sensitive controls as well. Wisely opting to restrict its usage to the gimmicky nature that it deserves instead of trying to develop control setups inextricably based around it, KillZone 2 uses the SixAxis/DualShock 3 motion controls for subtle commands such as turning gauges, steadying your aim when sniping, or planting mines - brilliant. Thankfully it's also largely a solid game without the glitches or bugs that thwarted the original. AI is generally very impressive and puts up a good challenge, although the kamikaze technique of certain Helghan troops does provide a weakness that can easily be exploited. As did the availability of the Electricity Gun during a later stage, its imbalance completely removing the sense of challenge from a game that generally steps up in challenge suitably as it progresses.

Of course no shooter is worth its RRP on a single-player campaign alone. It's the online multiplayer that really makes KillZone 2 an essential purchase, and surprisingly where Guerrilla Games has been at their most inventive. Despite the clamour for online play, we've got to applaud Guerrilla Games for including the relatively rare addition of bot support.

With the inclusion of persistent careers linked with the XP system, KillZone 2 may not radically push the boundaries, but the 'Warzone' mode does at least provide something that feels fresh in a fiercely competitive genre. Essentially it's a compendium of tried-and-tested game types into one cohesive game. Such an example begins with the two teams attempting to gain control of command points, the victor winning the round, before the next objective is something like defending or attempting to assassinate a VIP. There's nothing particularly new but the idea to combine each type into one mode is genius, and you're left asking why nobody's really tried this before. The only potential pitfall for KillZone 2 to overcome is whether or not the PlayStation Network can sustain the huge number of hours we expect KillZone 2 to quickly notch up.

Final Rating: 9/10

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Street Fighter 4 Review

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The weight of a new Street Fighter game is not to be taken lightly. After about 10 years of ridiculous turbo hyper super extreme installments which added a new character or a new combo meter in piecemeal, we’ve finally gotten a full-on, true sequel in Street Fighter 4. And as someone who’s not even that big of a Street Fighter fan, it’s easy to see just how good it is. It’s the best 2D fighting game I’ve ever played, the best looking fighting game I’ve ever played and is definitely going to be a standard for a long time to come.

The basics: 25 characters, six of which are brand new playable characters in a Street Fighter game. There’s an arcade mode (a series of AI battles, book ended by story-driven animated sequences), a challenge mode (basically AI Time Trial and Survival challenges for leaderboards and unlockables), a training mode to walk you through each of the characters moves and online play. From a feature-list perspective, it’s pretty basic stuff. There’s no Virtua Fighter-esque quest mode to earn in-game cash or conquer virtual game arcades. There aren’t even minigames to beat up cars! But in place of all that, you have near flawless gameplay.

It’s hard to summarize the depth of Street Fighter, but the comparisons to chess in high speed seem pretty accurate. Everything has a counter, every character can beaten by someone of a higher skill level, and, unlike Soul Calibur, button mashers will be annihilated within seconds of stepping up against another opponent. To a certain extent, this makes it hard for newcomers, as you’re better off playing people around your skill level, but the whopping number of characters means you can always handicap yourself by picking someone you’re not really familiar with.


The biggest new additions to the fighting mechanics are focus attacks. Activated by holding down the Medium Punch and Medium Kick buttons, a focus attack is basically a charged attack that can absorb a single attack from your enemy, allowing you to unleash fury back at them. It’s easy to pull off, requires no complicated button combos, and adds another layer to the combat.

Ultra combos are also new. After taking a certain amount of damage, you’ll be able to unleash an extremely devastating attack back at your enemy. Usually this requires some complex button presses, but if the attack lands you’ll be taking about 1/3rd of your opponents life. It’s hugely telegraphed, but if you’re in mid air or getting up from the ground you may not be able to block it. The idea is to keep everyone in the game. Even if you’re getting crushed, you can still hope to land an Ultra and make a comeback. They also come with super flashy animations and are unique to each character, which makes pulling one off even more satisfying.


The visuals, though, may be the start of the show in Street Fighter 4. The level of detail poured into each and every character and fighting arena borders on OCD. Eyes bulge when hit, barrels knock over when you land an attack near them, monkeys do backflips in the background. Street Fighter 4 is full of life, and looks crisp and bright, a nice change of pace from the browns and dark greens of this generation of games.

There are qualms to note, though. In testing the online play alongside the public, we had major issues when trying to play ranked matches or quick join games. Either it wouldn’t let us connect or we’d be left playing in extreme lag, with a slideshow level of frame rate. Playing against friends in player matches seemed to cure this problem, but the lack of a party lobby system (as seen in Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix) means that you can’t have all-night round robin sessions.


The other big issue to consider is that the standard PS3 and 360 controllers are pretty inadequate for playing Street Fighter (or pretty much any other 2D fighting game). You can get by, for sure, but anyone with a joystick or a special gamepad will have a definite edge on you. That’s not really a fault of the game itself, but it’s something to consider if you’re looking to pick it up.

Lastly, we were a bit bummed by the lack of character customization in SF4. The game allows you to unlock 10 alternate colors for your characters, but secondary costumes are relegated to DLC. After seeing incredible character customization in games like Soul Calibur 4 and Virtua Fighter 5, it’s a shame Capcom didn’t go all the way with this one. We would’ve loved to have seen Guile with a big kitty helmet.

With all that said, though, Street Fighter 4 is an immaculate fighting game. The depth of play matched with the incredible visual fidelity makes it a new standard for 2D fighting games and may just revive what has become a niche genre.

Final Rating:8.5/10

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Halo Wars Demo Impressions

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The Halo Wars demo has hit the XBL Marketplace and we have our demo impressions for you. Halo Wars was developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The game is a Xbox 360 exclusive title and releases March 3rd in North America. Hit the jump for my impressions.



The demo gives you the opportunity to play 2 missions in the human campaign, and play unlimited amounts of 1v1 skirmish matches versus the computer. I'll start off with the campaign. Your army is on the UNSC ship the Spirit of Fire orbiting the planet Harvest. Your first mission is a basic tutorial on how to move around and fight. You are then given a hero unit and you set off on the missions. The missions are nothing to scream about, the main part of this demo is the skirmish mode.

Skirmish mode allows you to play as both the covenant and the UNSC, but you must use the preselected leader. For the covenant you can be the Prophet of Regret and for the UNSC you can be the Captain of the Spirit of Fire. Each leader (Six total in retail game; 3 UNSC/ 3 Covenant) has unique units, bonuses, powers, upgrades, perks, etc. to help define their play style. The Captain can use an orbital "sniper bomb" known as the MAC Bomb. With the MAC bomb you pinpoint an area and deal major damage in that small Area of Effect. The Prophet of Regret can use his power to destroy enemies quickly. The prophet, who is a decent fighter/defender early game, can call down a "holy beam" for 10 resources a second to nearly "insta-kill" and units found under it. He also has the unique Honor Elite Guards. These are basically Elites equipped with only energy swords and can cloak to sneak around. From what I tested they are only good to make an early rush with or defend from an early rush. Once the opposing side has middle tier units they are useless, except to be canon fodder.

The demo does not include all units or all of the tech tree so it is hard to estimate how deep this game will be, but from the demo it looks deep enough to keep you interested but will look like a flat experience to hardened PC RTS fans. Another issue is the controls. Many sites have critically acclaimed the controls, but I beg to differ. Sure, the controls work for a console, but there are many useless things maped to buttons that could be used better off. For example, you can use the right trigger to jump between bases and when you pass one and want to go back, you'd click the left trigger...right? Wrong. The left trigger is used to increase scroll speed accross the map. Sure, the increased speed is nice, but could have been implemented much better. They could have just made the scoll speed gradually increase as you scroll, for larger maps.

Overall, Halo Wars looks like a step in the right direction for a console RTS, but it is not the final step. Future console RTS should use Halo Wars as a model, but expand on it. Think of Halo Wars as the skeleton, we just need to add the muscle to it now. Also, after playing EndWar, lack of voice commands seems like a step backwards for a console RTS. I would have really liked to see Ensemble add an option for voice commands for tedious controls, that would free up the controller even more for a deeper experience.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Quick Update

You may have noticed our lack of postings recently but we are coming back soon! I have been on vacation without access to the internet and my co-writers have been busy as well. We will be back to bringing you the latest in gaming news, previews, interviews, podcastings, and reviews withing 2-3 days!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Feed Burner Update

Our feed count has been deleted agai so I submitted a ticket to feedburner and got this response:

Cool, you recently moved to a Google Account! Your feed stats might be low for a bit; they should return to former levels in about 72 hours.


Hopefully things should return to normal soon.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Feedburner Problem Fixed!

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Well our subscription base should be fixed right now. Everyone should be getting the daily subscription emails again. I figured out that Feedburner now requires everyone to migrate their accounts over to their Google accounts for them to function, after I did that the subscribers were restored.

If your are NOT getting your subscription emails, and you were before, them please comment here and explain your problem and we will help you promptly.

Sorry for the Inconvenience,
The VGToday Crew

Update!: The feed count at the right is still not operating correctly, I'll wait 24 hours for it to adjust before questioning it's legitimacy. Remember, those Feedburner subscriber counts are notorious for being incorrect...alot.

Update!:
Ok, things should be back at 100% now...thank God.


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Feed Burner Issue

Feedburner is currently experiencing some issues and our subscriber base has all been deleted. We are currently working to get everything fixed. Sorry for any inconveniences.

The VGToday Crew


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E3 Open To Public 2009

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The E3 Expo that takes place this June will be open to the public, after a few years of the event being private. Of course, this will come at a price. The price tag for a ticket is currently at 400$ USD and you must be 17 Years or Older with a valid US ID to present. We have applied for a media pass to go to the event, we hope we will get an invite!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew

Links:
http://www.e3expo.com/


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Halo Wars Demo Open To The Public!

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The Halo Wars Demo is now available to the public. We will have full impression of the demo up later this week/weekend. Tell us what you think about the demo in the comments section!

Download Link: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/0ddf000a-0000-4000-8000-00004d5388ba?cid=SLink

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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A Detailed Look Into Halo Wars

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After watching this I am now interested in playing this game. At first glance it looked like a simple Rock-Paper-Scissors with Halo skins and a RTS on console (not a good resume'). This video now have me pumped for February 5th, and see if I will be buying the game, or just renting it for the story. I am not a big fan of Halo, and definitely not a fan of console RTS, but I think this could revolutionize console RTS. Do not keep this off your radar.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Batman Arkham Asylum Trailer

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Looks promising, and possibly one of the best Batman games in recent times, or anytime for that matter. The game is due out late 2009 for the PS3 and X360. Leave a comment on what you think about the game!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Get into the Halo Wars Demo Early!

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Planet Xbox 360 and MLG are giving away free Halo Wars Demo Codes to a few lucky people to get the demo early, before it's February 5th demo release date. Hurry and quickly enter to get that rare code!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Banjoo-Tooie Hitting XBLA Soon!

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The sequel to the N64 title Banjo-Kazooie will be hitting the XBLA this early 2009. Just like Banjo-Kazooie, which released for the XBLA late 2008, the game will be nearly identical to the original with upped graphics and improved frame rate. We will assume the price tag on this nostalgic beauty will be around 800-1200 (10-15$) Microsoft Points. More news coming as it happens!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Resident Evil 5 Demo Impressions

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The first game I ever got a taste of on the PS1 was the very first Resident Evil, and it is one of my all time favorite survivor horror games. None the less RE5 is one of my highly anticipated games to come out in 09. I say this due to the lack of enjoyable survivor horror games in 08. Now don't get me wrong the new Silent Hill and EA Dead Space, where not that bad. They did not just have the kick one would look for from a RE title. Anyways, onto the demo. When the game screen initiates, you are left staring at the lava carved Resident Evil 5 logo. After it takes a blink, you can Start the game, with the traditional "Resident Evil!" title calling or view the Options. Only two options available to you for the demo. You're brought to a page with 3 options of gameplay, with Single Play being the highlight.

Once the game selection is made, you're brought to a Stage Select screen. Personally, I think the Select Stage is for demo purposes, but it has potential to make it into the final release. You can choose between the Assembly Place or Shanty Town. It doesn't matter which one you choose, because the playtroughs won't be linear or straight-forth.

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Review:
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Controls- The multiple control schemes really give you an edge over how you start off into the game. While the classic RE4 controls are more easier to use, the Gears control scheme is pretty solid in itself as well. Strafing isn't as action-paced or fps-ish, it's basically fast side-steps. You can't do much while strafing. The classic control scheme seems to be the way to go for the demo or if you are familiar with the series. Not only are they easy to use, but their quite flexible too.

The basic controls with Type A are L to walk, hold L and A to run, and shoot with X+RT. RT+A reloads. Basically, they are RE classics's PS3 controls in 360's format, with minor changes.

Inventory-The 3x3 grid is rendered in real time. You can set up to 4 weapons in the Top, Right, Left and Bottom of the center grids. You can hotswap weapons using the d-pad alignment. The hotswap feature is a big plus, it adds to tension and feels very relieving at the same moment. The first few times it also feels weird not having to open inventory to equip/change weapons, etc.

Enemies- While not exactly the way shown at E307, or the way promised, the enemy AI was not poor either. It is definitely improved from E3 of this year, and was good for a demo. Last recalled, Capcom has not even touched upon the AI of the enemy yet, so don't expect too much from the AI at the moment. They are however, even in early stage, a lot better and more of a challenge than RE4's final enemy AI even. They run a lot faster, they might stop at the last moment in front of still, but some of them have some pretty swift moves. For example, any enemy holding a shovel will pose a higher threat than one with a stick. They tend to run forth and swipe the shovel upwards.

The animation has also vastly changed from last seen. When you shoot them straight in the head, they will fall down instantly on their knees. A enemy mid-air will end up being flipped in the air. There a few last animations that might seem similar to RE4's, but they're not really noticeable and will probably be changed due time.

Sheva- Quick on the feet, and quite intelligent. Her AI is delivered a lot better than Outbreaks' or Ashley's. You basically don't even have to worry about her for most of the time. She'll run around, take out enemies, find any useful items, and recover you if needed. You doesn't exactly ask for ammo, you have to hand her some, but she gives you a lot of the things she picks up. Basically, leave all the healing to her, and make sure she picks up more health items than you. But that doesn't mean you should leave no attack items for her either, because she does great on her part with the Attack feature. You can control the way Sheva interacts. You can either have her Attack, or Cover. Having her Attack will control her AI to have her go on about alone, and do what's basically needed to do, and Cover will make her stay near you and do some cover fire. This is useful for enemies you do not see but she might(off-screen).

Weapons & Ammo-There's a total of 4 weapons. The Handgun, Rifle, Shotgun and the Machine Gun. Ammo is somewhat plentiful for the demo, but it's not going to be the same for the actual game like stated in an interview. There's enough ammo to not be cheap, but not enough to go crazy shooting everything and everywhere.

There are a number of environmental hazards that you can use to your advantage. A number of gasoline barrels, several electric boxes, and more. Enough to inflict tons of damage to groups of enemies or the two sub-bosses in their respective stages.

The electric boxes tend to hurt the Executioner more than the barrels do, whereas the barrels do more damage to the Chainsaw freak. It seems they have enemy-weaknesses already pre-planned.

Extra:
A lot of people got this around as well. You can make Chris taunt by holding the left and right buttons. It doesn't do anything for in-game purposes, and since it's not a game with gages like DMC, I doubt it's there for anything other than a small Easter egg or looks. Nothing major.

Overall, the graphics are stunning, small details are great. Enemy AI has been improved since the last time I played the demo at a local gaming convention, the animations for the enemies have also been modified a lot. There is enough ammo to go around the demo without fretting, unless you waste it. It's easy to waste ammo, because the enemies usually do things when least expected. The controls are quite simple and flexible, with A being the classic control scheme. Those familiar with the series will find that Type A is the way to go. However, the Gears scheme is quite decent as well.

Real-time item management really adds to the tension and playthrough of the game. You really feel a relief once the coast is clear, because it gives you time to peacefully manage the inventory. Hot swapping weapons is simple and a very useful feature. Aside from being a huge plus, it also feels weird at first for a Resident Evil feature. It comes in quite handy, but the tension and enemies gaining on you might confuse you here and there(at least the full game will anyways).

Some things need to be touched on. For example, the cut-scene flow. When Kirk arrives to take out the door, everytime the camera is on something not Kirk or the chopper, the chopper's blades sound is muted. There is no distinct chopper sound, which heavily breaks the flow of that one cut-scene.

They also messed around with the execution cut-scene. The newer voices don't sound as good as before for the crowd, and when Chris and Sheva enter the small room, there is no distinct yelling of the crowd(like before, or recently in the Play God trailer). This, again, kills flow of the cut-scene.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Golden Lancer Now Free For Everyone!

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A sad day for those who spent an actual 10$ just to get the golden lancer that was supposed to be exclusive to the Limited Edition. EPIC and Microsoft have released the gold plated lancer for free to all Gold and Silver Xbox Live members to use. No word on if the Midnight Mayhem Exclusive Golden Hammerburst will be coming for free soon.

Download: http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/media/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d8024d53082d/?p=1&of=6&sb=1&did=0ccf0001-0000-4000-8000-00004d53082d

EDIT: Microsoft goes "oops!"! They said adding the lancer to the marketplace was a mistake, and will be removed shortly. More information on this soon, once it happens!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Spore Review (PC)

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From the mind of Will Wright comes SPORE, a journey that takes you from the origin and evolution of life through the development of civilization and technology and eventually all the way into the deepest reaches of outer space. Begin your odyssey at the dawn of life as a simple microbe just trying to survive, then use the fun, intuitive Editors to evolve the creature from its microscopic origins into an intelligent, tool-using race. Guide your species as it builds (and the player designs) villages, buildings, cities, and vehicles. Along the way to becoming a global civilization you can choose whether to hunt or forage, attack or trade, be nice or play rough. All the action takes place in a huge, lush world populated with creatures evolved by other players and shared over SPORE's central server.When it's ready, your one-time pond scum launches into space in its UFO on a grand voyage of discovery, planet forming, or destruct-ion.


As you explore and play in this limitless universe of unique worlds, your personal Sporepedia tracks all the creatures you've met and places you've visited. Take complete control of your creature's fate as you guide it through the following six evolutionary phases: Tidepool phase: Fight with other creatures and consume them to adjust the form and abilities of your creature. It's survival of the fittest at the most microscopic level. Creature phase: Venture onto dry land and help your creature learn and evolve with forays away from your safe haven. Carnivore or Herbivore? Social or Independent? The choice is yours. Tribal phase: Instead of controlling an individual creature, you are now caring for an entire tribe of your genetic craftwork. Give them tools and guide their interactions as you slowly upgrade their state of existence. City phase: Bring your creatures' race into a new golden era by building up the technology, architecture, and infrastructure of their city. Civilization phase.

Once your city is established, your creatures begin seeking out and interacting with other cultures. You can have them do so with an olive branch or a war cry—either way, the goal for your creatures is to unify the planet. Space phase: The time has come to move on to other worlds in your solar system. Make first-contact, colonize, or terraform, then venture further to find other solar systems scattered throughout a magnificently rendered galaxy. A 'mission' structure provides new goals and paths to follow as you begin to spread through the universe.


Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Guide To Free Microsoft Points

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With the recent storm of DLC for the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, you can never have too many Microsoft Points. Here at VGToday never run out of these precious points because we found a website that gives you loads of free gifts, like MS Points, for just doing simple 5 minute surveys! Here's our guide.

First, you need to sign up on the website with your real email address (And if you want to get free video games and consoles off this site you will need to enter your real address as well). Here is the link: Click Here!. (If the link is broken or does not work make a comment and we will fix it promptly!)

Now, after signing up log in and click the "Offers" link, then you will see a list of surveys to do. To make it easy on yourself click the filter option that says "Free". All 200+ surveys under this tab are FREE, and just take minutes of your time!

Here is the guide for doing surveys fast and easy. Download RoboForm, Roboform fills out the personal information segments for you instantly. Remember, for surveys, you do NOT need your REAL information. Just create an email account to use for these surveys, because the surveys send alot of Spam! Now, after the first two pages of the survey using Roboform, you can either click "No" on all the next pages which can take about 5 minutes or you can use this nifty bot to do it for you!

Download the bot here: Click Here! To use the bot, you must extract the .rar file using WinRAR then drag and drop the .xpi file onto an open Firefox window to install the add on. This will do the survey for you after the first 2 pages of Roboform.

If you do not use firefox or cannot under stand how to use this bot, just click "No" on all offers during the surveys yourself.


Have any questions, issues, a broken link/download, etc.? Leave a comment and we'll fix it!

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Welcome Kyle!

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I'd like to take the time to welcome our fourth (And final, for now) member to the VGToday Crew! Kyle will help us with news and reviews so you get new posts all day! Please leave a welcoming comment for Kyle!

Welcome Kyle!
The VGToday Crew


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F.E.A.R2: Project Origin Gameplay


What do you get when you combine Bioshock with Call Of Duty 4? You get F.E.A.R 2: Projet Origin A game that I believe to be the biggest game so far this year. Don't beleive me? Watch the video.




NOTE:This video was made sometime last year, so it's not an accurate representation of what the game's like today. If you want to see what it looks like now, download the demo on XBL.


Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Please Welcome VistaSmoker707!

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I'd like to welcome VistaSmoker707 to the VGToday staff! He will join us as another writer for the site to help us bring you more and more articles a day! He will be starting in a week or so, after we get him settled in, but for now please leave welcoming comments for him and you might get a response!


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NPD Numbers Showing New #1

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The guy on the left is Halo, the right CoD:WaW

Halo 3 once again loses it's number rank on the Xbox Live NPD numbers this week with Call of Duty: World at War taking the number one spot. Halo 3 has pretty much consistantly held the top spot since releasse, except for a week or two when big releases come out (Like GoW2 and GTA:IV). So, go forth, and rally your 12 year old friends and get back on Halo quickly, before it is too late.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Gamescore Whore: Gears of War 2 DLC

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First off, welcome to VGtoday's new little "column" that will be published weekly, or biweekly, that will give you tips and/or guides on how to get those precious achievements. This week we discuss how to rack up a good 175 gamerscore easy, with the new Gears of War 2 DLC Achievements!

More Mystery, Less History (15g): For this you need to win a multiplayer match on each Flashback map pack and it cannot be Wingman. Just go into a private match and put 1 bot on casual on execution, and make the round limit "1". Do this for each map, and you will have the achievement in about 5 minutes.
Bound by a Shared Past (15g): This is the same thing as "More Mystery, Less History" except you must win on each map on Wingman. Just put the settings on 9 bots on casual and round limit on "10" and you should have the achievements in no time.
The Roof! The Roof! The Roof... (15g): Read "More Mystery, Less History" and just do that on the combustible maps.
Forged in the Fire (15g): Read "Bound by a Shared Past" and just do that on the combustible maps.
Skeletons in your Closet (20g) & Trial by, and on, Fire (20g): These are some of the more time consuming achievements on this DLC pack. If you put the Horde mode on casual you should reach wave 10 in about 15-25 minutes depnding on how fast you go. You must do it on each map so 15-25 minutes on 8 maps should take you roughly 2 Hours - 3 Hours 20 Minutes for 40 gamerscore.
Annex: Now With Execution Rules (75G) : Note, this is the ONLY achievement in this bunch that MUST be played in a public match, which means you CANNOT boost this in private matches. Just load up the Flashback or Combustable map pack and try and get annex. It should not be too difficult because EPIC increased the chances of annex showing up in those playlists.

Good Luck!
The VGToday Crew


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LOTR: conquest Demo Impressions

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The Demo for LOTR: Conquest has been up on the Xbox Live Marketplace for awhile and we have a little demo impression/review in store for you. The game is designed by Pandemic, the makers of the Star Wars: Battlefront series, and published by EA. The game released January 13th 2009 in North America, and on January 19th 2009 internationally.

LOTR: Conquest, in general terms is Battlefront with LOTR skins, but much much more. The gameplay in LOTR:C goes back to the style seen in the first Battlefront game, abandoning the annoying "Must have 'x' points to get 'x' unit", excluding heroes. Heroes can be desirable in certain situations, but right now with the demo's selection of heroes the heroes can be more of a burden and arrow magnet rather than being helpful. For example, the Balrog is slower than any other unit in the game, so if your opponent is an archer and is backtracking shooting at you...you can never catch him to kill him. Plus annoying button setup on some heroes can cost you your life. For example, when using the Balrog for the first time, you might try pressing "A" to jump or move fast...instead he stops and taunts the opponent for a few good minutes.

The game has multiple modes on the retail, but on the demo you can only play capture points. In this gametype you capture flags to gain points every interval, the more captures per interval, the more points you get. These capture points also allow you to spawn on them, making wait times in between fights less prevalent. One holdup on the game is the small choice between classes and how deep each of these classes are. Sure, there are different combos and ways to play each class, but after you learn those the game gets repetitive.

My personal opinion on the demo is that the game could be a hit or miss. Due to the relatively low hype about this title in Q1, I do not see this the big sleeper hit of 2009. It is fun, but lacks the huge longevity of multiplayer giants like Call of Duty and Gears of War. Stick around for our full game review coming soon!


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Free HDTVs and LCD Monitors!

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Free HDTVs and LCD Monitors from VGToday!CLICK on this, do NOT type in the address!


The holidays might be over, but that does not mean you cannot still get some great free gifts! This website offers free HDTVs and Monitors for you, for only doing 1 survey! It is that easy. The easiest way to do these offers is to go get a Visa Gift Card, since all the offers require credit cards or gift cards. Use the giftcard store locator! The easiest offers to do are the Netflix, Gamefly, Video Professor, or any other of the offers that only charge a small amount of money! If you have a problem getting your offer done, leave a comment and we will assist you!


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1up.com News

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Not Anymore 1up
As many of you may have heard, 1up.com has recently been sold to UGO, but what happens soon after is what hits home the hardest. Soon after taking over the throne of 1up, the exec's at UGO decided to lay off most of 1up's staff. The current list includes:

Adrian Frieg
Amy Mishra
Amy Moran
Andrea Garcia
Andrew Fitch
Andrew "Skip" Pfister
Anthony Gallegos
Cesar Quintero
Christina Rosa
CoyLou Steel
Derek Chinn
Doug Parsons
Eric Ellis
Giancarlo Varanini
Greg Ford
James "Milkman" Mielke
Jason Bertrand
Jason Wilson
Jervilyn Jaramillo
Justin Frechette
Leslie Gelfand
Marci Yamaguchi
Matt Chandronait
May Tong
Meredith Stowe
Michael Donahoe
Monique Convertito
Ndubuisi Madu
Nick Suttner
Norris Boothe
Philip Kollar
Rey Serrano
Robert Bowen
Rosemary Pinkham
Ryan O'Donnell
Ryan Scott
Shane Bettenhausen
Simon Cox
Tammy Ross
Tipler Ubbelohde


If you are familiar with 1up, and it's staff, you realize that many of those names are executives and/or some of the greatest writers on 1up, and in the business in my opinion. Not much else to say but, for me, 1up is official dead. I hope all the laid off get greats jobs somewhere else and do great.

For a full lengthy post on this, visit Jeff Green's blog: http://jeff-greenspeak.blogspot.com/2009/01/no-youre-not-same-1up.html

The VGToday Crew


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Fallout 3 Operation Anchorage DLC Priced and Dated

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Bethesda released some more details about the DLC and we are here to bring that to you. First, the level cap will be raised for purchasers of the DLC from 20 to 30, but if you have finished the game with a character...you're out of luck, you have to start a new one for the DLC. Also, ninja armor (as seen above courtesy of Xbox360Fanboy) will become available. As puclically known, the DLc will also include areas in Alaska where you fight against Chinese survivors. The DLc is priced at 10$ (800 Microsoft Points) and is due to release this month for the Xbox 360 and Pc.

Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Gears of War 2 Flashback Map Pack Available!

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That is right, for people who did not get the code in their copy of Gears 2 or if you bought the game used, you're in luck! The Map Pack is now available on the XBLM for a cheap price of 5$ (400 Microsoft Points). Sure, it should be free...but for those that got the game used (Priced at 54.00$ Used), you saved 1$ overall! Here at VGToday wish that Epic would just migrate the Flashback maps into the normal playlists and not have a seperate playlist just for Flashback...same for combustable, but thats never going to happen.


Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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Gears of War 2 Patch Incoming...(Oh, and Achievements too!)

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You heard it right, Epic is acknowledging the bugs in the currently multiplayer game and promises to fix them. Included are fixes for melee through walls, shotgun and boomshot blasts going straight down when fired from the hip, and much more! Mark Rein from Epic made the announcement on the Epic Forums, here is what he had to say:

As I mentioned before the break we’ve been working on a major title update for Gears of War 2. This update will address bugs and exploits as well as add some new achievements related to downloadable content. We don’t have an exact date for it but all indicators are it will go live within January. If that changes we’ll let you know.

We’re fixing a whole bunch of online exploits. For example we’ve fixed the ability to wield an invisible shield, melee through some walls, gain infinite Lancer ammo and equip a shield and a two-handed weapon simultaneously plus many more.

We’re also making several small changes to improve the overall online gameplay experience. A few of the ones that might interest you are; increased penalties for quitting matches early, adding additional spawn protection against planted grenades and chainsaw attacks, and adding the ability to see the Submission flag carrier destination by using Tac/Com.

We know you folks love achievements so on the achievement side we’re adding achievement progress numbers to the War Journal, increasing the frequency of in-game Achievement progression notifications and adding some new Achievements for DLC.

This is just a very small list of some of the things that will be in the next title update but one more item which has been talked about a lot in our forums deserves a special call out...

About that shotgun...

We fixed the client side hit detection on the shotgun so that in a high-latency (i.e. “laggy”) match, the shotgun will be more reliable. We’ve also fixed another bug whereby shotgun and boomshot rounds could strike the ground when firing from the hip.

So there’s a brief status report on the next title update. At some point I expect we’ll post a more detailed list but I assure you we’re working hard to get this out the door and once it’s done we’ll start working on the next update. We’ll try to do a better job keeping you informed of our progress on future updates and we’ll try to be a little more active in the forums once this update is released.


Enjoy!
The VGToday Crew


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