Game of the Week: Virtua Tennis 2009 - Just in Time for the Culmination of Clay Court Season

If you’re anything like me, you’re passionate about tennis.

If you’re not that much like me, but you are a gamer, then there’s a good chance you love a good tennis video game, even if you have no interest in the real sport. And if your tennis affiliation lies in the virtual world, then you should hit your local game retailer this week – Virtua Tennis 2009 releases June 2nd!

Now, don’t you worry – I’m not going to start talking about the French Open that is going on at Roland Garros right now. I won’t mention that Andy Roddick isn’t fooling anyone by getting in to the 3rd round, or that it doesn’t matter as Rafa Nadal is unbeatable in France (and don’t talk to me about Federer beating him in the last tourney, Nadal owns him and you know it). I won’t talk about the women’s game, or about how I want Serena Williams to show the rest of the ladies in the world who is boss.

Instead, let’s talk about gameplay and how Virtua Tennis always delivers great gameplay like a slicing second serve by Nadal himself – easy to get a bead on, but with so much English on it that it takes a long time to master. The controls in the Virtua Tennis games are simple enough to pick up and play by just about anyone almost immediately. You can pop the disc into the tray of your console of choice (the game releases across all major platforms), and can start playing and having fun within minutes. At the same time, though, there are nuances and skills to be learned, and mastery of the game is a rewarding experience. And skills will be learned – there are 12 mini games to play, in the ridiculous style of past iterations of the franchise. All the fun (and they are FUN) to be had with them will build you skill for the career mode, where online rankings can have you compete with players around the world.

I love this franchise for its fun, arcade take on a great sport – anyone planning on getting it to challenge me on Xbox Live?

- Goodchild

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About Damn Time! Fallout 3 DLC coming to PS3

photo from G4tv.com

Goodchild shot me an email letting me know of this great news so I thought I'd share it with everyone.... DLC (Downloadable Content) for Fallout 3 finally coming out for PS3! I was definitely pissed that they would neglect PS3 owners with the extra missions and perks for this awesome game, but now I can rest easy.

Anyway, read the article at G4 TV for the details.

- Sonic

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Game of the Week: Valkyria Chronicles

I am playing this game now so why not it be the game of the week? I am a fan of strategy games and once I played the demo I was definitely sold. Valkyria Chronicles uses the Canvas graphics engine which makes it look like you are watching or reading a graphic novel done in water color. This style is definitely unique and it brings a whole different visual gaming experience.

It has that anime/manga feel which at first made me think this will be unchallenging, but the missions are a little tricky even from the start. It took me a few missions to get a hang of the different characteristics of different troops and all the extra options the game gives you.

Check out the trailer and the link below for more details. Valkyria Chronicles is available for the Playstation 3.

+ Valkyria Chronicles Review [IGN]

- Sonic

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Game of the Week: Fallout 3

The game of the week is Fallout 3, which won game of the year last year at GameFly and bunch of other sites. I just beat the game and I am kind of sad I did. I won't be getting super anal with the trophies/achievements but I will definitely be playing it some more. Much like Fable 2 this shooting RPG allows you to control the type of character you are. You can be a good human being or a totally psychotic scumbag and anything in between. I played as a good character the first time around so I will probably play it again as a douche bag next time.

Considering the massiveness of the Fallout 3 world, I felt there should have been so many more side quests. The last bit of the main quest was kind of easy and short as well, but those are really my only complaints about the game. The freedom you have in the game is great. You can explore the entire map from the beginning of the game (as long as you survive), and do any quest you want as you encounter them. The only real order you have is the main quest which you will go in and out of as you do your other quests. I had a lot of fun playing this game, but instead of me trying to explain what the game is about and all that just watch the clip above.

- Fallout 3 is available for the XBOX 360, PS3 and PC systems.

+ Fallout 3 is no-brainer for Game of the Year [MSNBC]
+ GameFly names Fallout 3 Game of the Year [G4TV]

- Sonic

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Game of the Week: Cuboid (PS3)

I love puzzle games so I was excited when I discovered Cuboid. The concept is very simple, you flip around a rectangle across the board and drop it in the hole. Of course there are special squares and rules that come into play but it is a fun puzzle game and a great brain exercise. You can get this game for under 10 bucks from the Playstation Network.... sweet.

+ Cuboid Review [IGN]

- Sonic

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GOW3 Spells Awesome

Awesome. It’s a simple word, and it gets highly overused by most people these days. What it means is to be filled with awe. In slang terms, the true meaning gets watered down. But here, I’m not using it in slang terms. I’m using it for its purest meaning – because, believe me, I am FILLED with awe.

So, how do you spell awesome? G. O. W. 3. Which, of course, stands for God Of War 3, coming later this year exclusively for the Playstation 3. Can you say PS3’s first true system seller?

There will be plenty of hype when this game hits – and if what was unveiled at Sony’s recent media day is even remotely close to reality, then this will certainly live up to all of it. This footage is all supposedly IN GAME. Enjoy, but don’t drool too much on your keyboard.

- Goodchild

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Game Release: F.E.A.R. 2 - Project Origin

Games are just getting crazier and crazier these days especially with the whole HD thing. I didn't play the first F.E.A.R. installment, but I got a chance to download the demo for F.E.A.R. 2 on my PS3 and it's pretty um.. scary?

THE PLOT: The second heart-stopping shooter by Monolith (after F.E.A.R.) continues the spine-tingling supernatural suspense story of an escalating paranormal crisis that threatens to destroy a major American city. At the center of the calamity is the mysterious Alma, whose rage against those who wronged her triggered a chain of events that has spiraled completely out of control. Now that she has been loosed upon the world, the consequences will be unimaginable. [IGN]

So in this horror first person shooter you can expect lots of blood, eerie surroundings, crystal clear graphics, intense action and a ton of terrifying imagery. For more on the game and it's features read the articles I listed below.

+ F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin comes out today (02.10.09) for PS3, XBOX 360 and PC

[official website]
F.E.A.R. 2: Project Origin Preview [Game Pro]

- Sonic

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Noby Noby Boy

Sure we could talk about the huge games for PS3 that MIGHT help Sony's games division see a profit (though their losses on hardware are going to make that tough), games like God of War 3 (w00t!), Uncharted 2, Killzone 2, Gran Turismo 5 ... But lets focus for a moment on a smaller title that doesn't have a numeral at the end.

Keita Takahashi, creator the insane, inane and wonderfully quirky Japanese oddity that is Katamari Damacy, is releasing Noby Noby Boy exclusively on the PSN. In this bizarre little game, players use the two analog sticks to control a long worm like creature that will stretch out, interacting with the environments - I'd imagine eating things and getting bigger, if I've done my Katamari homework correctly. If Takahashi's past work is any indicator - which I'm sure it must be - than this little game will be excruciatingly fun.

- Goodchild

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If you were wondering about Blu-ray.....

photo by /pitzyper! on Flickr

Just as VHS won the video tape battle over Beta, the Blu-ray Disc reigned supreme over HD DVDs. So yeah, the graphics are amazing, but what's the big deal? Well, first off it's not just video, the audio quality is much better as well. While CDs, DVDs, and Blue-ray discs are all optical disc formats which utilize lasers to read the information written on the discs, Blu-ray uses a blue-violet laser of a shorter wavelength which allows you to focus the laser spot with more precision. In a nutshell this allows BDs to hold more than 5 times the amount of information than a regular DVD. That's what it's all about, the storage space. This is the technology that brings you true HD movies and HD gaming experiences to your door.

photo by 37prime on Flickr

DVDs are not going to disappear over night, and quite frankly they still get the job done for me, but it may be worth your while to start making the switch. The prices going down on BD players, and I am even finding ones for under $200. The movies themselves are about $30 a piece, and when you are paying $20 for a regular DVD, it's really not that bad a deal...... and there's always the PS3 option so you can get the best of both worlds.

+ some prices for BD players at buy.com

- Sonic

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Lord Of The Rings: Conquest

2009 is here and it's going to be a great year for entertainment. And that, I implore upon you, is a fact. How can I possibly know this as fact? Just look at the last few years - they've all been pretty great for entertainment. And all one has to do is just look at some lists of what is to be released this year to know we're in for a good time. Are you a gamer? I know I am. A quick look at what is coming out this year makes my face get happy and my bank account get sad. Where to even begin?

photo by IGN

Let's start in January. Tomorrow, EA publishes the new Pandemic game - Lord Of The Rings: Conquest. Now, I know, great, great, another LOTR game. But hold on a second there: Doesn't the name Pandemic sound familiar to you? If you're a gamer, I'm willing to bet you lost countless hours on two of their earlier games - Star Wars: Battlefront 1 & 2. Now take that incredible fun and addictive formula and gameplay, switch it from the stars and root it in middle earth - enormous battles, Tree Ents fighting Balrogs, Orc archers sniping Hobbits, deadly explosive combos and 16 player online matches. Not 100% sold yet? The demo is free on XBOX Live and Playstation Network now.

[game trailer]
[official website]

- Goodchild

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