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Today we have a special offer for you from online Game Retailer GoGamer!

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GoGamer and Evil Avatar.com have teamed up to bring you a GoGamer coupon code. Input this code when you check out for 10% off your entire order:

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GO! GO! GO! Go buy those games we reviewed and then tell us why you'll be playing them!

See....it's not just us.

I love Penny Arcade. They too see that Sony is playing catch up.

Read the their latest masterpiece here.

Guitar Hero: Metallica

I will make this one short.

This is a game worth buyin.

Guitar Hero games are kinda hard to review, because Guitar Hero set the standard. To date, there has not been a bad GH game. Rock Band is fantastic, but its the SAME people who made Guitar Hero...so there is little room to weigh either against.

But GH: Metallica takes the "music sim" game to a new level. Flawless execution. Perfect presentation. As a life long fan of Metallica, this is as close to the "Might MET" experience as you can get without seeing them live.

Whereas GH: Aerosmith took you on a journey through the band's career, GH: Metallica just throws you into the band. The opening of the game gives you goose bumps, because it re-creates the band's concert openings, Ecstasy of Gold and all. The four band members approach the stage in Micheal Bay slow-mo...as the credits flash, and as Ecstasy of Gold ends, the logo comes up. I was expecting to be taken to the Main Menu, but that is not Metallica's style. As the logo fades ( to black), up comes the guitar highway and you hear DONG. And then you are playing FOR WHOM THE BELL TOLLS. No screwing around with lesser songs or bands. This is Metallica and they have come to kick your ass.

From then on, you play the role of Metallica's opening act, each set peppered with bands that Metallica likes and have influenced them. Then you get 3-4 Metallica songs in which you are THEY. 'TALLICA!

And there are sooooo many extras. Just like GH: World Tour, you can create a rocker, and make a guitar. You can unlock the bands actual equipment. From James white SO WHAT guitar to Kirk's Spider Guitar. They are all there.

If you are already a GH fan, this is a no brainer. If you are a Metallica fan, this is a no brainer. If you are looking to catch on to the craze...this is a GREAT example of a well crafted game.

Get it and Ride The Lightning!

WE DON'T HATE SONY!

I have gotten a couple of emails from people asking why we seem to have bashed on Sony. I have been asked if I hate Sony....and I have been called a Xbox Fanboy. Here are some examples:

" Why all the hate toward Sony? They have a great system and I for one am excited about the announcement. They have done much in the past 4 years! I love my PS3 and play it all the time. Dont hate and give this announcement a chance!

Thanks!
Paul
(from Minnesota)"

Honestly I dont hate Sony. I have a PS3 for crying out loud. The Professor may lean toward hate...but I dont hate them. My BEEF with them is that they had the gaming world by the balls and through a myriad of marketing misfires and poor judgment threw it all away! Yes...the PS3 is great....a great BLU RAY PLAYER. The library of exclusives stinks to high heaven. Is there even a Top 10? Top 5 yes...but 10 top exclusives would be a stretch.

Then there is the cost of the beast. I use about 25% of what my PS3 is capable of doing? Why? Because I like most everyone have equipment that already does it. Why did they feel the need to put SOOOO MUCH in there?

And don't get me started on HOME.

And the PSP. I love my PSP....but the support for it was a joke and it is dying a slow death. Here is an idea....stop selling me a game on UMD and put them on Memory Cards. The industry has told you it hates UMD.

Basically they are playing catch up now. The Trophy system is a joke and feels very much like the afterthought it is. Bottom line, when game is released for PS3 AND 360, I am getting it for 360. Why? LIVE and GAMERSCORE.

And now we have the ANNOUNCEMENT that the PS2 is now $100. WHATEVER....it should have been $100 2 years ago. I am sorry Sony...I want you to be awesome...but you are a joke now.

And there is also the whole STAR WARS: GALAXIES debacle by SOE that still stings.

And before I go...one last email to share (edited for decency) :

"Hey F*cker....the PS3 is LIGHTYEARS ahead of anything else and XBOX F*CKING SUCKS. You NEED TO STOP SUCKING THE MICROSOFT C*CK and recognize the power of the PS3. YOO AND YOUR SITE ARE F*CKTARDS and I hope you and MICROSOFT go DOWN IN FLAMES.

Rewd-Dowg
Miami, FL"

Ahhh...its like a poem.

SONY'S HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT

Drum roll please...................$99 PS2!



THIS IS AMAZING NEWS FOR ANY GAME CONSUMER. /tongue in cheek.

In related news I can buy a used PS2 + 3 games for $50.00. Does it have a warranty? No, but for $50 I can just buy another used one with more games.

Man Dies While Playing Wii Fit.

From the Telegraph:

A "fit and healthy" 25-year-old man collapsed and died in front of his girlfriend as he played on a Nintendo Wii Fit computer game.

Obviously Nintendo is to blame for this debacle. The Wii didn't like how the consumer was jogging and to teach him a lesson blasted him with hundreds of billions of rays from the Wii causing his heart to stop. The Wii's motive? It sensed the consumer was not enjoying the product and was ready to move onto bigger and better consoles, like the XBOX 360, and had to send a message to the world.

Big Announcement From Sony This Week! OMG

Wno CARES? Everyone is soooo excited about an announcement from a company who has produced nothing but crap the last 4 years.

Seriously....if its a price drop.....do you really care?

DONT FORGET!!!

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!!!

YES!!!

This is a good way to start the day! Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2! Nov. 10th!!

Click here for info because I dont feel like typing it all out this morning.

Visiting EVE

EVE

We have all seen it. Heck some of us have even given it a go. But how many of us can say they "get" the game. EVE is not a simple game. Let me make that clear. EVE is not a simple game at all. A majority of people who try out EVE will not come back for more. And for the most part EVE could care less. But for those that are into challenge and wish to create their own game within a game, EVE might be what you are looking for.

With the Apocrypha expansion, released this past month, EVE Online has had a marketing push for new members. EVE much like LOTRO does not charge for expansions, once you buy into the game you get all the expansions and will in the foreseeable future continue to get all of the expansions "free" with your monthly subscription fee. One of the major reasons for this is because EVE has one server. Or more realistically one server farm that all the players play in.

If you see a ship in space, 90% of the time it is another player like you. Space is full of traders, miners, bounty hunters and yes, pirates. Being a sandbox style game means that you do what you want. You learn skills to aid you to whatever your goal may be, but there are not "Classes" in the strictest sense. There are guidelines in the form of Certificates that suggest skills that you most need to fit this role. Also some equipment can't be equipped without a certain skill or certain level of skill. But that is okay. Skills, at least the basic ones, are easily obtainable and trained. It is only a matter of time.

There is no skill or level grinding in EVE. You will not find a lone frigate in the middle of deadspace grinding out NPC pirates so that he can level a certain skill. (he may be there for salvage or bounties though) Skills that you are training automatically improve with time. Some skills take longer than others but on average you can train a skill to level 1 in roughly 10 minutes, 30 minutes for level 2, the scale will stretch higher. With the addition of the skill training queue, training is much easier and requires less babysitting.

Much has changed in the world of EVE. Most noticeably the graphics of the game have been given a major overhaul. The graphics are stunning. Visually it is easy to get enraptured by the game. Behind the scenes however the Dev team have done quite a bit to make the new player more welcomed. They have created tutorial missions that start your pilot off in the right direction as well as some nice starter ships that will get you out there.

EVE is a dangerous game. You may be killed anywhere at anytime. EVE is quite simply Everything vs. Everything. Security ratings will give an idea of how "safe" an area is, but it always pays to keep a wary eye open. High Sec zones (Sec rating 1.0-0.5) have security forces that hang around at gates and give you a warm fuzzy. Those guys disappear in Low Sec (0.4-0.1) regions. And here it is more than a good idea to be ready to fight or fly. Finally in 0.0 space, the players run it. That is also where much of the game can take place.

I have only recently started playing EVE and do not hold all the answers. I do know that it is wise to join up with a player run Corporation. I also have learned that Autopilot is not your friend. Also the security forces in High Sec space are not there to protect you, as much as they are there to destroy the offender.

A word of warning, if you get a 14-21 day trial account and then wish to purchase a full account, it might be best to extend through Steam or EVE Online themselves. The Deluxe box set published by Atari is for NEW PLAYERS ONLY. You WILL NOT get any of the extra stuff simply by putting a code into an existing account. It is for NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY.

See you on the space lanes...

GTA IV: Lost & Damned

Rockstar just recently released their first in a series of two downloadable content for the XBOX 360 game Grand Theft Auto 4. This time around: The Lost & Damned. L&D pits you as Johnny, the co-leader of the biker gang The Lost. You start the series a few "days" into the original Grand Theft Auto missions where you only hear about Niko (Niko has no new lines due to his original contract) and then eventually team up together through a contact named Elizabetha.

There isn't much to say about L&D but a few key points are:

1) Superior motor bike handling. This is important because you spend a very large chunk of the game on a bike.
2) New weapons. L&D introduces the grenade launcher, pipe bomb, auto-matic handgun etc.
3) New life/armor graphics, text and new music on a select few radio stations.

For $20.00 you get another 10 + hours of gameplay and the key points I stated above. If you're a fan of the Grand Theft Auto series this is a MUST but if you didn't enjoy what GTA 4 gave you then you will not enjoy Lost & Damned. It is a whole lot of the same thing (chase someone down, kill them. Find someone, kill his cronies, kill him.) but adds different views of the GTA4 world that you didn't get to see while playing Niko.

Fight Night: Round 3

It's early in round six and you and your opponent both meet in the center of the ring. Your body is bruised and you're ready to give up and you let your hands drop for a breif moment only to be hit with a jab on the jaw. The announcers voices fade and the world seems to slow down for a brief moment and all you can hear is the sound of your own breath and the crack of jaw when the right hook meets with the side of your face. You fall to the canvas and the count starts. 1...2....3....4....

Fight Night Round 3 is the third in a series of boxing games published by EA Sports. The game has been out since the release of the 360 but is one of those games that will stay popular even after the newest installment comes out. What makes this game so great? It seems the game developers took time to step into the ring and feel what it's like to catch a hook to the side of the head or even a jab to the stomach. Every movement in Fight Night was taken into consideration and you can box in just about any style available.

Want to be Mike Tyson and throw power punches? Done.
Want to be a bit for defensive and play the philly shell like Floyd Mayweather? Done.
Want to play as Muhammed Ali or Evander Holyfield? Done.

FN Rnd 3 brought back what is called the "Total Punch Control", or TPC as we'll call it from now. With TPC you use your right joy stick to execute punches how you want them. You are no longer confined to 2 hooks and 2 straights, as the four buttons on your controller give you, but now you can chain combos together how you want them. This allows you to box how you want; but that's not the only great feature of FN. They allow you to block any portion of your body using one button and at the same time you can parry, dodge, weave and duck any incoming punches and throw counters. This game really does take real boxing into consideration.

When your energy bar hits "0" your speakers crackle and you can now longer hear the announcers or your opponent. It's as if time has stopped. You have only a few short moments, when you hear this happen, to clinch up with your opponent or suffer the consequences of another hard shot which will send you down to the canvas. If you survive long enough to go into the next round you have 30 seconds to move the right stick back and forth to heal your face, depending on the side you picked.

The only real gripe I have about this game is the learning curve. If you know nothing about boxing you'll find yourself eating canvas quite frequently until you do a bit of research on what fighting style fits you. The developers expect that you've either placed FN Round 1 or 2 or have some sort of experience in boxing. I had to dig to find the training mode and after I did the rounds went by too fast to really grasp the controls. After playing for about an hour I finally got the hang of it and was able to adapt the game to my fight style.

For $20.00 you cannot pass this game up. It is worth all 1000 gamer points and the 10 + hours you could easily toss into it before making it to the end.

Street Fighter IV

Street Fighter IV
Xbox 360, PS3

Right off the bat, I am going to tell you that I am a huge Street Fighter fan so this will be a little less objective than usual. I am also going to tell you that will be the last baseball reference I make in this review.

It's been a long time coming, but THE fighting game is back. And one is quickly reminded why the Street Fighter games are like the Led Zepplin of the genre. It's nothing new. If you have ever played a Street Fighter game...you will be right at home. HADUKEN!!!



But it is new. New in design, new in flavor, new in...well, its new. And I love it. Nowadays the fighting game has become an afterthought in the industry, and this game reminds us why we fawned over them in the 90s soooo much.

And this is from a guy who even played Shaq-Fu.

New characters? Yes...and they are all good. Old characters? Yes, and they are just as good as you remember. Tight controls and a fantastic combo system make this game an instant classic.

The only real problem isnt with the game itself, but the controller. I highly recommend getting an arcade stick, especially if you are going to take on other players online.

Get this game.

Halo Wars

Halo Wars

X-Box 360
Demo Available on XBL




I like this game. I know that to many hard core RTS players, playing an RTS on a console is akin to wearing white after labor day, but Ensemble Studios has done a tremendous job in converting complicated controls to the 360 controller.


The game takes place about 25 years before the events of the first HALO game. There is no Master Chief, there aren't even Spartans as we know them, since old Chieffy was a SPARTAN II. Your squad mostly consists of regular human types.


But who cares? You want to know about the control, right?


Again, for a console RTS, the control is adequate. Would I want more control? Yes. But without the option of a keyboard/mouse, control of the game is handled VERY well. Ensemble has taken the best parts of an RTS, and focused on those. One button selects a local squad (visible on screen) and one button selects ALL UNTIS. One button takes the camera back to your base, another takes you to the anyh erupting action. One button attacks, one button tells your until to unleash HELL ( special attacks). It is simple...it gets you into the action and doesn't bog you down trying to manage everything. You fight. All other actions are secondary. Contrast that with Age of Empires or C&C...in which you are attacking, defending, and gathering all at once.


Speaking of, resource gathering ( which I LOATHE and has taken me out of many a RTS) is kind of an afterthought in Halo Wars. You buiild a base, and it makes resources for you. There are resources in the field that your sqauds can pick up...but thats it. They dont even have to lug them back...you just move the unit on top of them and they are added to your tally. You spend them on barracks ( more troops) , reactors (more stuff) and upgraded your stuff ( warthogs, troops, etc) That's it. Your time is devoted to winning the objective.


And therin lies the only fault I have found with this game so far. In simplifying the controls, it seems in some cases they forgot to simplify the game. THere are times when there is just too much going on combat wise. While the game does a fantastic job of notifying you that stuff is going down, actually doing something effective with the info can at times prove difficult, and this can result in failed missions and re-tries. As long as you just keep telling yourself that this is a console based RTS, and a good one, you wont be that upset. I made myself go back and play the LOTR RTS for 360 to remind myself how good a job Ensemble Studios did.


This is a game worth buying.l It is a huge step forward for RTS games on a console. While I am sure that hard core RTS players will find plenty to hate, the casual RTS player will have a blast.