This week we see more than a few good games (didn’t game companies get the memo that summer is drought time?) with the release of Unreal Tournament 3 for Xbox 360 (sans the ability to add mods like the PS3 version) and the PC port of Dante’s latest adventures with Devil May Cry 4. Mandatory plug: DMC4 review by yours truly. Tsk, tsk…shameless.

Besides that, Civilization Revolution also drops which marks the first Civ game Sid Meier’s actively programmed for since he created the original in 1991. You can try out the turn-based strategy game for yourself by downloading the demo readily available on PSN and Xbox Live.

Check out the full list of games dropping this week after the break…

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written by Carlos Macias \\ tags: Amusement Park, Beijing, Civilization, Cry, Dante, Devil, didn, Features, game, July, May, Metascore, Revolution, Sid Meier, Tournament, tsk, Unrated, Unreal, Venice, Week, Xbox

Gray Fox, Solid Snake and Big Boss.  Wouldn’t you like you very own unique Metal Gear Name?  Check out this website, which tags you with a first and last name.  Mine happens to be Inebriated Beetle.  I guess that’s cool.  What’s your code name?

“Input your first and last name, and you’ll be given your code name for this mission. The first part of your code name describes your unique skill or personality, and the second part is your animal designation.”

Via metalgearnamegenerator.com/

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written by Juan Perez \\ tags: Beetle, Big, Boss, code, Features, Gear, Generator, Gray Fox, Inebriated, Metal, metal gear name generator, Mine, Name, part, snake, Solid, Website, wouldn

This week we surf the waves of yet another Swedish rock act; Khoma, and the song “Medea“, from 2006’s The Second Wave. Other recommendations from the same album are “Stop Making Speeches”, “Through Walls” and “One of Us Must Hang”.

Khoma is the mellower, alternative metal oriented outfit of Cult of Luna mastermind Johannes Persson, who together with Jan Jämte (vocals) and fellow Cult of Luna bassist Fredrik Kihlberg (guitars, piano) started Khoma to do something more, mainstream, if you will.

Johannes Persson is also the Swedish equivalent to Canada’s Cevin Key (Skinny Puppy, Download, etc), in that he is a workaholic. Managing two bands at the same time, however, is what keeps the creative juices flowing, according Persson himself.

In 2003, Khoma’s (then Koma) debut album caught the music industry with storm, only one year after Cult of Luna’s second album, and one year ahead of Cult of Luna’s third, conceptual magnum opus; Salvation. In 2006, the follow-up to Khoma’s debut was released, with great critical acclaim, as well as the fourth, and most successful Culf of Luna album to date; Somewhere Along The Highway. Johannes Persson was the musical, lyrical and creative force behind each and everyone of these releases.

Khoma is currently recording their third studio album, and just this past week Cult of Luna released their fifth album, Eternal Kingdom. Check them out, and if you like it please support the artists. Always try before you buy. Just like it should be with games… But that’s another story for another post.

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written by Jesper Sellerberg \\ tags: Audiosurf, Cult of Luna, Features, Fredrik Kihlberg, Jan Jämte, Johannes Persson, Khoma, Koma, Medea, Metal, Second Wave, Sweden

The much anticipated release of the coolest firmware to date will be released on Wednesday July 2nd.  To go along with the in-game XMB will also be PS3’s Trophy System.  Here’s what we can expect and what game we can expect to see the Trophy system in use:

Super Stardust HD, a PLAYSTATION Network-exclusive released in June 2007, will be the first game to leverage Trophies and will offer a variety of trophies. Trophy support in Super Stardust HD will be available for first-time users who purchase the game soon after firmware v2.40 is released, while those who previously purchased and downloaded the title will be prompted to install a free patch.

PS3 users can expect to see additional games bringing Trophies support to their feature sets through 2008 and beyond, providing even greater opportunity to showcase their accomplishments and compete with friends. The following first-party games are also slated to offer Trophy support:

• BUZZ! Quiz TV
• LittleBigPlanet
• MotorStorm Pacific Rift
• NBA 09 - PS3
• PAIN
• PixelJunk Eden
• Resistance 2
• SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation
• Warhawk

To further emphasize the community aspects of this system software update, the amount of people you can add to your PSN friends list has been doubled, to 100.

I will be really impressed if Sony goes back to previous first-party games.  Resistance would be a great reason to blow the dust off the cover and slide that bad boy in!  Anyone interested in Pixel Junk Monsters Trophies?

Image Via Kotaku

written by Juan Perez \\ tags: 240, coolest, date, Features, firmware, firmware 2.40, game, July, Pacific, Playstation, ps3 2.40, ps3 firmware update, release, Stardust, Super, support, system, Trophies, Trophy, US, Wednesday, XMB

How many more days of teasers were we going to see on Blizzards’ site.  After 8 long years since Diablo 2, fans will not need to wait much longer.  With the Announcement of Diablo 3 conveniently before E3, we can say “expect to see it there”.  In the meantime, “What info do we know about Diablo 3?.. not much but here’s what we DO know”:

Two decades have passed since the demonic denizens, Diablo, Mephisto, and Baal, wandered the world of Sanctuary in a vicious rampage to shackle humanity into unholy slavery. Yet for those who battled the Prime Evils directly, the memory fades slowly and the wounds of the soul still burn.

When Deckard Cain returns to the ruins of Tristram’s Cathedral seeking clues to new stirrings of evil, a comet from the heavens strikes the very ground where Diablo once entered the world. The comet carries a dark omen in its fiery being and it calls the heroes of Sanctuary to defend the mortal world against the rising powers of the Burning Hells–and even the failing luminaries of the High Heavens itself.

- Explore a fully-realized Sanctuary–the living, breathing gothic fantasy world of Diablo III rendered in gorgeous 3D.

- Battle the unholy forces of the Burning Hells with all-new character classes like the otherworldly Witch Doctor, or with re-imagined warriors from Diablo’s past: such as the fierce Barbarian.

- Rain Hell on your enemies wielding the interactive environment as a weapon: lay cunning traps, turn destructible objects against your foes, and use environmental obstacles to your advantage–all powered by the Havoc physics system.

- Experience the intensity of multiplayer Diablo III over an all-new, wickedly-enhanced Battle.net platform with numerous enhancements to make connecting with your friends easier–and cooperative gameplay more fun.

Diablo will again focus on cooperative play, and feature the return of Deckard Cain.  You’ll also get a new class called the Witch Doctor who’ll have access to jungle magic and be able to summon animals and insects, inflict diseases, and mind-control enemies.

written by Juan Perez \\ tags: announcement, Announces, battle, Blizzard, Blizzards, Burning, Cain, comet, Deckard, Diablo, Diablo 3, Doctor, Features, III, Rain Hell, Sanctuary, site, Tristram, Witch, world

Coming to a next generation console near you PS3 and X360 in 2009 is the recently announced ‘Fight Night Round 4′.  After many days of researching the confirmed roster, we have gathered and confirmed this information with our EA contact.  Unfortunately, the list is not complete but we’re working on it.

For the first time featured in a video game in nearly a decade is “Iron” Mike Tyson. The Tyson we all love, Young Mike Tyson, will surely knock us on our a** without the strategic blinking.  If you grew up in the 80’s Mike Tyson was one of the most feared boxers in the ring.  His uppercut was devastating and his power was unmatched.

Our confirmed 13 fighters listed to-date, are great fighters I’m sure you’ll enjoy controlling.  Below are the fighters and the First Look at Mike Tyson in Fight Night Round 4:

Mike Tyson
Muhammad Ali
Joe Frazier
Rocky Marciano…

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written by Juan Perez \\ tags: decade, Evander Holyfield, Features, Fight Night Round 4, Floyd Patterson, game, Generation, information, Iron, Lennox Lewis Winky, Mike Tyson, Mike Tyson Featured, night, Ricky HattonExclusive, Ring, Rocky Marciano, roster, round, time, Tyson, video, Wright Roy Jones Jr., Young

When I first downloaded Commando 3 on the XBLA, I was excited that they were finally bringing the classic arcade series back.  If you are looking to re-live the old Commando days, you might be left feeling a little let down.  While the game isn’t bad, they certainly went in a direction that didn’t add much of value to the series. The best way I can describe the new game is that it’s a lot of fun in short bursts, but the gameplay really doesn’t last very long.  Cooperative play certainly will add to the fun, but the title isn’t going to make my favorite list by a long shot.

The Good:

• It’s great that they have revived interest in the franchise and the game certainly is fun to play for short periods of time.   
• The game looks really cool.  The art design is spot on and exactly what I’d expect from a downloadable game.  I also sampled the PS3 version and it looks a little cleaner on that system, so you may want to go for the PSN download over the Xbox LIVE version.
• The game characters are unique and add fun to the title.