Downloadables: August 19 - 26 2007

Random words flying at you, music visualizers, long necked mammals; what doesn't this game have? Space Giraffe is one of those rare games that make no sense no matter how long you play it or what you think you understand about it, but it is fun none-the-less. To follow up we're also getting Street Trace: NYC, a gangsta racing shootem up, likely akin to some terribly confused mix of Twisted Metal and Freestyle.



ON the VC this week we get the second half of the Metroid hype machine with Super Metroid. Play as Samus and shoot baddies. There is also Shinobi III for anyone who wants more awesome ninja action and Neutopia for anyone who knows what that is.



Xbox Live Arcade:
- Space Giraffe (400)
- Street Trace: NYC (800)

Wii Virtual Console:
- Super Metroid (SNES, 800)
- Shinobi III (Genesis, 800)
- Neutopia (Turbografx, 600)

New Releases: August 19 - 26 2007

The summer drought is finally over, in August no less. Bioshock has arrived to bring alive all your dreams of hunting little girls inn a post-eutopian future underwater. Seriously, I want people to go out and buy this game. Apart from the great press it's been getting (100's across the board), but because noone ever buys Irrational's awesome games. If you refuse to take my word for it, the demo is available for both PC and 360.

Bioshock is not alone though. If Oblivion was too short for you, Two Worlds is now here to suck your life into a pit of fantasy RPG goodness. With all the standard stuff an open-ended RPG has in it and more, these guys should easily be able to see where Oblivion faltered and make improvements. Now, if only the Oblivion players could pry themselves from levelling up.

And, if you're old; Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes. I don't know anyone under the age of 30 that enjoys these games other than myself and maybe Akrit Jaswal. However, if you eel your brain is not fully operational this will help give the illusion of improvement.

Lastly, PS3 owners finally get GRAW 2. It took Ubisoft forever to port and polish this one, but from someone who has played it already; PS3 owners you have nothing to fear, this game rocks. Also, what else are you going to do?

PC:
- Bioshock
- Panzer Killer
- Two Worlds
- Destination: Treasure Island

Xbox 360:
- Bioshock
- Two Worlds

Nintendo Wii:
- Brunswick Pro Bowling

Nintendo DS:
- Brain Age 2
- Operation Vietnam
- The Settlers
- I Spy Funhouse
- Turn it Around

Playstation 3:
- Ghost Recon 2: Advanced Warfighter

Playstation Portable:
- Brunswick Pro Bowling
- Ghost Recon 2: Advanced Warfighter
- Dragoneer's Aria
- Jeanne D' Arc

Playstation 2:
- Brunswick Pro Bowling
- Metropolismania 2

Downloadables: August 12 - 19 2007

Hexagons, everywhere. They invaded your mind and haunted your dreams. Everyone that owns an Xbox 360 HDD knows what I am talking about. Hexic is back and it is ready to torture you with images of rotating shapes and black pearls. The sequel has much needed (?) online multiplayer and fun new modes. I love Pajitnov, so buy, buy, buy! Ecco the Dolphin is here to extend the excellently presented Sega collection in the arcade. If you love dolphins, this is for you.



Virtual console gets a truly classic title after a few weeks of mediocrity. Metroid is a very good game. It will tide you over until the real Metroid comes out. In other news, some other random games are out.

Xbox Live Arcade:
- Ecco the Dolphin (400)
- Hexic 2 (800)

Wii Virtual Console:
- Metroid (NES, 500)
- Shining in the Darkness (Genesis, 800)
- Cratermaze (Turbografx, 600)

New Releases: August 12 - 19 2007

Your annual roster update is ready. Madden NFL 08 storms every single platform known to man. I never really understood the appeal of the game (or football in general). However, no one can deny it's awesome selling power. There really isn't much else out this week, a barrel of DS games, but other than that nothing.

PC:
- Madden 08
- 1914 Shells of Fury
- 7 Wonders of the Ancient World 2

Xbox 360:
- Madden 08

Nintendo Wii:
- Madden 08
- Billy the Wizard: Rocket Boomstick Racing

Nintendo DS:
- Madden 08
- Heroes of Mana
- Rune Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon
- Luminous Arc
- High School Musical: Makin' the Cut
- Operation: Vietnam
- ATV / Monster Truck Mayhem

Playstation 3:
- Madden 08

Playstation Portable:
- Madden 08
- Dungeons and Dragons: Tactics

Playstation 2:
- Madden 08
- Shin Megami Tensai: Persona 3
- Fatal Fury: Battle Archives Vol. 1

General Games Exclusive: Street Date Busted!

It's not often I get a scoop this big, but just last night my brother and I purchased a whole case of Halo 3 Mountain Dew Game Fuel! That stuff doesn't come out until the 13th!

Ok, not that exciting, but it is tasty! The new Mountain dew features Master Chief on the cans and box and tastes like regular Mountain Dew plus cherry. The odd thing about it is although it is labelled as 'Game Fuel' there are no energy boosting medicinal ingredients like ginseng or extra caffeine. Just cherry. It tastes alright, but really not what I imagine Master Chief drinking in his downtime.

The cool part about this stuff is the branding. Pokemon is the only other game I ever remember getting this much marketing. It's a big step for game advertising, to do something formerly reserved for Star Wars special editions and Jerry Bruckheimer flicks. Microsoft has said they are comparing the release of Halo 3 to other entertainment releases, not other gaming releases and I guess this is proof. It's great to see this much attention for a game, but on the flip side you won't see it again for a while. Halo e is probably the only game big enough to pull this kind of stunt.

HDMI, Now Available in White

This is one thing I am rather surprised about, but new Xbox 360 premium models have been landing on store shelves with HDMI ports. The formerly Elite exclusive feature is now out on the recently reduced model. While there has been no confirmation of any other enhancements it is likely we are will see reports of better cooling systems and maybe 65 nanometer chips. The systems are still just arriving so all stores may not have hem, but if you are looking it will be listed on the side of the console, under the product description.

As an early adopter I do feel a little bit stung by this, however it's important to keep in mind that HDMI is not required for 1080p and most TVs have component-in. This really does 2 things for Microsoft this holiday. It gives them another box to check off the list, but for those buyers that follow this sort of thing it is evidence that change has happened to the main box. Building customer confidence is the last step Microsoft really has to take before they have all their bases loaded. The 3 year warranty will help, but solid changes to the architecture is inevitably the real solution.

For other early adopters that care, there is still a way (if my theory is correct), that you can get an HDMI port on your existing console. If your console breaks down, and you send it in to Microsoft you are entitled to (I am quoting the warranty brochure), "A new system with all the latest features". If you quote that line and follow up enough it should work out in your favour. However, this will only apply when your system is broken, if you have a working unit it will be sent back almost immediately. Yes, you can see I have dealt with customer service plenty.

Speculation Be Damned, I See the Future!

Remember when I said before August 12 we'd see the CDN price drop? I had no idea I was so soon. Less than an hour ago Xbox.ca announced that (exactly as I predicted) $100 CDN will be dropped from both the core and premium models. The Elite however only gets a $50 break, and the price of the Halo 3 edition is wedged in between. The breakdown is as follows:

- Xbox 360 Elite $499 CDN
- Xbox 360 Halo Edition $449 CDN
- Xbox 360 Premium $399 CDN
- Xbox 360 Core $299 CDN

This gives them a serious competitive edge for the holiday; cheap enough to combat the Wii and make a laughing stock of the PS3's $659 entry point.

Again, like the American release there is no word on new bundles, but I still expect another holiday pack to surface, like last year's Ghost Recon / XBLA Unplugged pack-in. It looks like we're starting to see companies realizing the difference in the dollar isn't much anymore.

80GB PS3 Out, I Get Bitch-Slapped

I don't know what it is about the Canadian Maritimes but they have everything here, including the 80GB PS3. At the Sony Store, HMV, Futureshop, and EB Games located at a Halifax mall I was able to find the 80GB unit, everyone pricing $659. It's interesting because a mere day later Sony's press release has hit the interwebs.

I tried to take a picture for you, I really did. However, for some reason the mall had strict rules against photography of any kind, and for some stranger reason the shopkeepers were hell bent on enforcing it. The guy at HMV even swatted my hand as I lifted for the shot.

What does this mean for the 60GB unit? Well, as Kaz has stated before it is discontinued. This has driven sales to more than double what they have been. However, when the holiday hits and the 60GB is long gone as Sony tells us, price of entry will be back at $659. That would make it more than double the 360 if my price drop predictions ($100 CAD) are correct.

With the strong library not hitting until next year it's easy to say Sony has forfeited this holiday and are looking to next year being the killer season. Whether it's a year to late to push it, we'll see. They will have a few bonuses by then though, Blu-Ray will take over HD DVD and we'll see some titles to convince people. It's not over yet, I still believe the industry is strong enough to support all three consoles.

All Your Favourite Prices

In a total surprise announcement Microsoft issued a release detailing an August 8th price drop on all 3 SKUs. As predicted by most sites the prices are as follows:

-Xbox 360 Elite $449 USD
-Xbox 360 Halo Edition $399 USD
-Xbox 360 Premium $349 USD
-Xbox 360 Core $279 USD

Did you catch it? I snuck the price of the Halo 3 edition in there as well. The price drops go in affect August 8 to coincide with the August 14 release of Madden 08. While the prices are listed for US only I am still rooting for a $100 CDN drop. On the topic of international price breaks Microsoft's global marketing team was quoted saying, "Today we are announcing a price reduction in the U.S. We will announce other regional price decreases at the appropriate time."

I imagine this will hit Canada some time before the 12th, enough time for the dust to settle on the US release (to avoid retailer confusion) and till in time for Madden. T back this up I went to a nearby EB Games to see if any loose-lipped employees felt like letting me see some memos. They did have one, detailing as I predicted, a $100 CDN drop on all 3 SKUs. Canadian gamers, fear not good things come to those who wait.

Rant: Another Reason I Hate EB Games

Just a little rant because something is pissing the hell out of me right now. As if the reselling of used games as new, the pre-order and expensive warranty pressure and peanuts for trade-ins wasn't enough; EB Games uses shitty, cheap stickers.

Why should I have to spend hours peeling glue off my game cases after I buy something from you? They have invented stickers that leave near no residue. Why do you afflict such torture upon my obsessive compulsive nature?

I hate it. It looks awful and is annoying as hell to get off. I understand the expense of re-shrink wrapping everything, but if you're going to use those damned sticky circles at least make them come off easily. As for the labels? No excuse. That shit should slide off. Rant done.

Also, I found the original Phoenix Wright and Trauma Centre, I am ecstatic.