Review: Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PS3)

Fall of Cybertron does a stunning job tying itself to the 1980's Transformers animated series. The game takes it's sweet time doing so, bouncing amoung multiple playable Decepticons and Autobots through the story, but the ultimate pay-off is awesome and showcases just how fan-generated the title is; High Moon Studios should be lauded for this.

You know this is coming. However...

The Weekly Checkpoint 22

With the weekend upon us, it's time for another news round-up.  For this Checkpoint we're taking a look at the closure of Sony Liverpool, a slew of layoffs at a number of developers, Nintendo Power shutting down, and also some happier news like KotOR 2 making its way to Steam, and a fancy patch that makes the PC version of Dark Souls look a lot better.

News: Guild Wars 2 Headstart Officially Underway

If you're one of those lucky folks who shelled out money for the very expensive (and highly worthwhile) Collector's Edition or somewhat more economical Digital Deluxe Edition, the three day head start for Guild Wars 2 has begun.  Already, several US and European servers are full up.  Additionally, Arena.net has announced a special limited edition fashion bit for your Tyrian toons.  From now till September 12th, players can obtain a special commemorative baseball cap with the Guild Wars 2 logo on it for free in the Black Lion Trading Company, GW2's microtransaction marketplace.

Guild Wars 2 officially launches on Tuesday, August 28th.

Review: Tales of Graces F (PS3)

Tales of Graces F is a game that may not have wide appeal, however, if you are looking for a fun JRPG (Japanese Role-Playing Game) with a good story and a great battle system, this is definitely for you.

Preview: 007 Legends (360, PC, PS3)

My first James Bond film was "The Spy Who Loved Me." At the age of 9 it had just about everything I wanted in a film: a cool hero doing dangerous things, a menacing henchman (Jaws), a creepy villain with webbed hands, and Lotus that could drive underwater. I didn't understand all that kissing stuff though. A man with a licence to kill should be smart enough to know how to avoid cooties, for crying out loud.

Preview: Gears of War: Judgement (360)

Gears of War: Judgement is a prequel to the original Gears of Wars, which made a splash when it first appeared in 2006 with it's over-the-top, chainsaw-gun, eat-shit-and-die, curb-stomping, cover-based gameplay. And the two sequels that spawned from the original were released to relatively universal critical acclaim outside of some comments on the ham-fisted storytelling.

Preview: NHL 13 (360, PS3)

In retrospect, I think NHL Hitz 2003 was probably the last hockey game that completely absorbed my attention like few games have and it stands out in my mind as the premier hockey video game. It was the arcade trappings that did it for me. EA's own NHL 3-on-3 Arcade was a solid attempt at recapturing that flavor -- and it did, for a brief time -- but was quickly replaced by other games.

Random Game Talk: Cybernator (SNES)

There can never be too many giant robot games, and today Mr. Nash takes a look back at one of his favorites: Cybernator for the SNES.

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man (PS3)

Following the immensely successful open-world Batman: Arkham City game last year, it isn't a surprise that the not-quite movie tie-in The Amazing Spider-Man would sling itself in the same direction: placing a popular superhero in an open world with the freedom to either follow the game's storyline or explore and free-roam through Manhattan, in search of side missions and collectibles.

Review: New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)

"In [the Mushroom Kingdom], you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women."

- Tony Montana (Scarface, 1983; paraphrased)

New Super Mario Bros. 2 certainly takes a more serious and dramatic turn when it's viewed through the lens of Brian de Palma's ode to drug-fuelled, mid '80s, Cuban gangsters in Miami. It's still a Mario game as it's traditionally known. It's a side-scrolling platformer where goombas are flattened, blocks smashed, turtle shells hurled, and tricky platforms navigated by, what else, jumping. And the coins... so many coins.

The Weekly Checkpoint 21

Another week is out of the way, and it's time to look at all of the gaming news to crop up during that time.  This week we look at the troubles facing OnLive, Ubisoft diving into digital distribution of the PC games, Team Fortress 2 adding a coop mode, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadows 2 coming to PC, among other things.  We've also cracked 100 subscribers on the YouTube channel, so celebratory high fives for everyone!

Preview: Dead Space 3 (360, PS3)

Dead Space 2 made good strides to improve the series initial offering, which introduced the gaming world to Engineer turned Nightmare Killer, Isaac Clarke. Ratcheting the tension and expanding the universe at the same time. More importantly, Isaac Clarke was given some actual character in the sequel.

News: Catwoman's Cleavage Completely Covered

In a nod to realism, Warner Bros. and Rocksteady have released images of a decidedly more armored Catwoman set to appear in the upcoming Wii U version of Batman: Arkham City. (Also, there's a nod to C&C Red Alert's Tesla Troopers.)

Symphony Early Impressions (PC)

Mr. Nash takes a look at this music based shoot 'em up where the levels are made from players' music library.

Random Game Talk: Marvel's (NES)

Today Mr. Nash takes a look back at one of the worst game purchases he made as a child.

The Weekly Checkpoint

We've got another news round-up for you all.  Today we talk about the recent security breach at Battle.net, DayZ going standalone, possible problems with Bioshock Infinite, and Steam selling non-gaming software in the future, among other things.

Hardware: Nintendo 3DS XL

Right out of the gate, Nintendo's 3DS XL addresses my two main issues with the "regular" version of the 3DS: the screen is much larger and the stylus is stored on the right side rather than the back of the unit.

Everything else remains the same, aside from the obvious look of the unit (and the headphone jack shifted to the left), which is reminiscent of the DS before it officially launched way back in 2004. It's the rounded corners and edges that do it.

Random Game Talk: Bujingai (PS2)

Today, Mr. Nash takes a look back at one of the early spectacle fighters on the PlayStation 2, Bujingai: The Forsaken City, a game full of swirling, flashy sword fighting, magic, and a singer most Westerners have likely never heard of.

Wanderlust: Rebirth Early Impressions (PC)

Today Mr. Nash takes an quick look at Wanderlust: Rebirth, a retro-styled action RPG for the PC with a lot of emphasis on replay and coop multiplayer.

Review: Inversion (PS3)

With so many shooters out there it's difficult to stand out from the pack. At least Inversion manages to actually be interesting, even if it falls flat in several areas.

Random Game Talk: The Immortal (Genesis, Apple IIGs, Amiga, Atari ST, etc.)

In this magical romp on the wayback machine, Mr. Nash takes a look at gruesome dungeon adventure game The Immortal, which came out for a slew of systems in the early 90s.

Review: Prototype 2 (PC)

Prototype 2 is to the original game as a cold cut trio Subway sandwich is to a cold cut trio Subway sandwich with a sprinkling of chorizo and possibly bacon and dabbed with hot sauce.

That is to say, Prototype 2 is the same as the original but it's also different in some ways; better.

The Weekly Checkpoint 19

Welcome to the weekend everyone!  It's time to round-up this past week's gaming news, and this time we're taking a look at EA's decision to sue Zynga, as well as Electronic Arts reporting that they're making more money from their PC games than PS3 currently, SWtoR will be going free to play this Fall, WoW lost 1.1 million subscribers in the last three months, Sony is still having money problems, Namco had a very lucrative Q1, and Bethesda has announced some of the actors who will be lending their voices to Dishonored.

Feature: Time Capsule - incite PC Gaming, Issue 2

incite PC Gaming had a rather short run as a magazine. It seems that the magazine folded after a mere 6 issues, but with covers like the one found on issue 2 (January 2000) is it any wonder?

First, notice the price. $3.99 in Canada, $2.99 in the US. That was cheap for a magazine, even in 2000. Most comic books cost more than that. All evidence suggests that the magazine was being sold at a loss in order to appear more attractive on news stands. I know that's why I picked up this issue. The price was certainly more attractive than the cover model, Victoria Silvstedt.