Aliens vs Predator

Some of you may be more inclined to decapitate your enemies at close range rather than pick up a plastic instrument and play along with the Beatles. If that happens to be the case, you’ll definitely want to turn your attention to the new Aliens vs. Predator game coming from Rebellion Developments and Sega.

It’s not that this game is remarkably unique in its approach, but that doesn’t mean that it should be ignored. This most recent take on the Aliens vs. Predator franchise pits you in a first-person shooter arena and you’re outfitted with all sorts of interesting toys, weapons, and functions. Here’s a quick video explaining a few of the features.

I only got to see the Predator side of the equation, but I understand that you’ll be able to control the Alien race as well. From the Predator’s perspective, you have the ability to use cloak, leap with stealth from one vantage point to another, and destroy both Marines and Aliens with an extreme level of gore.

Do you remember the head-and-spine ripping fatality by Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat? Well, the Predator does that too, except he tears them off with his signature wrist blades. This game literally oozes with awesome. Look for Aliens vs. Predator in Q1 2010 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Windows PC.

Introducing the Sony PSP Go

For the PSP Go, Sony got rid of the regular UMD drive, replacing it with 16GB of internal NAND flash memory. In this way, all the games that you’ll be playing on the PSP Go will be digitally delivered via the PlayStation Network. The screen size is a little smaller and the controls have been relocated to a slide-out portion. There is still just one analog stick.

Overall, the PSP Go is smaller and slimmer than any PSP that preceded it. The physical size and form factor are nearly identical to the Sony Mylo Communicator, if you remember that failed product from a couple years back. With better PSN integration and a gaming focus, the Sony PSP Go ($249) could be just what the doctor ordered. Look for it this October.

Now that we’re visually stimulated with the live gameplay demos, let’s dive right into the nitty-gritty of a few of the new titles we’ve managed to tease you with.

New Super Mario Bros Wii

Easily one of my favorite games on the Nintendo DS is New Super Mario Bros. It took the tried and true platformer formula of the Mario franchise and updated it with new worlds, fresh graphics, and gameplay that is as enthralling as the originals. With New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Nintendo has essentially done the same thing, except they have now brought the franchise to the Wii.

The graphics style of New Super Mario Bros. Wii is pretty well identical to its DS counterpart, giving you the same kind of cartoony 2D visuals and marginally animated enemies. Stomping on goombas is just as refreshing and rewarding as it’s ever been, but with one very notable difference: four-player cooperative play.

With New Super Mario Bros. on the DS, there was the option for multiplayer gaming, but that was only comprised of competitive mini-games. With the Wii iteration, you transverse the stages of the regular story mode with up to four players: Mario, Luigi, and two Toads. I guess Princess Peach is the one in trouble. Again. Interestingly, you can kill off your “friends” the same way you did in the original Contra. If they can’t keep up with the pace of the rest of the team and fall off the edge of the screen, they die.

New Super Mario Bros. Wii is set to launch in Q4 of this year.

Wii Fit Plus

Wii Fit Plus, realistically, offers you more of the same kinds of exercises and mini-games that you experienced in the first Wii Fit. You still get a series of yoga exercises, strength exercises, and that kind of thing, as well as 15 new balance games. You might remember going for a run with the dog in Wii Fit; now you get to ride an obstacle course on a Segway with that same pup. (Editor’s Note: It is a known fact that Michael Kwan is one of few people capable of crashing a segway)

Other new features include a calorie burning counter, the ability to create new routines, and even the option to have pet profiles. When Wii Fit Plus gets released in Q4 2008, it will be sold as a standalone game and as a bundle with the Wii Balance Board.

Gametrak Freedom and Squeeballs for Xbox 360

If you enjoy the waggle and wave-tastic motion controls of the Nintendo Wii but you’re “stuck” with “just” an Xbox 360, you’re in luck. Performance Designed Products (PDP) unleashed the first motion-based controller for the Xbox 360 in the form of the Gametrak Freedom.

This new controller may look a lot like the Wii Remote, but rather than working as a “pointer” like the Wii, the Gametrak Freedom uses a patent-pending ultrasonic 3D motion sensing technology.

You set up a pair of sensor bars, one on either side of your TV, and the system will be able to track your movements in 3D space. This goes well beyond the tilt-based accelerometer in the Wii Remote (which is also inside the Gametrak Freedom).

In playing Squeeballs, the mini-game collection that will accompany the Gametrak Freedom at launch, I found the controls to be quite different than the Wii. You really move the controller through 3D space rather than just swinging wildly.

The Gametrak Freedom and Squeeballs bundle for the Xbox 360 will sell for $69.99 when it’s released this fall. The slightly modified version of the game will also be made available on the Wii ($39.99) and the DS ($29.99).

Riiflex Weights for Nintendo Wii Fitness

Fitness games have suddenly become all the rage, thanks largely to the popularity of Nintendo Wii Fit. More recently, we’ve seen games like EA Sports Active and My Fitness Coach, both on the Wii, capitalizing on this trend. Not surprisingly, there are video game accessories jumping in here as well.

This unique product is not being catered to just one Wii game in particular. Instead, Riiflex is supposed to add an extra dynamic to whatever Wii game you’d like. Riiflex is a weighted peripheral that effectively converts both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk into dumbbells. They’re available in both 1 kg (about 2 pounds) and 2 kg (about four pound) models. Riiflex, not surprisingly, is sold in pairs.

Power Play says that they worked hard to ensure that Riiflex is made from quality materials and it shows. This is no cheap plastic throwaway accessory. The 1kg and 2kg pairs will sell for $24.95 and $29.95, respectively, when Riiflex starts shipping this summer.

The Beatles: Rock Band

I wouldn’t say that I dislike the Beatles, but I’ve never really considered myself to be a huge fan of the Fab Five either. So, when I first heard about this Beatles-specific version of Rock Band, I wasn’t all that interested. I figured that it would be just another themed song pack, not unlike the versions of Guitar Hero and Rock Band that focused on groups like Metallica and Van Halen. As it turns out, Harmonix and MTV Games actually implemented several new features for The Beatles: Rock Band.

In previous versions of Rock Band, you would have to back completely out of the menu and go into the options section to activate No Fail Mode. This can be a real pain when you’re at a party and the newbie just wants to try one song. Addressing this, The Beatles: Rock Band lets you toggle No Fail Mode right from within the band creation screen. Also, players who choose the Easy difficulty setting will always be on No Fail.

The developers also received feedback indicating that gamers wanted all the songs to be unlocked right out of the box. It can be very time-consuming to go through the entirety of the Beatles’ career just to get your favorite song. So, all the tracks are immediately unlocked in Quickplay.

It’s also interesting that you can have six players enjoying The Beatles: Rock Band at the same time. There are still the same three instruments, but you can have three people on vocals in harmony. They’ll actually have semi-separated streams for vocals, making for a Barber Shop Quartet (Trio?) like experience.

Look for The Beatles: Rock Band to launch on the PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii on September 9, 2009.

Lego Rock Band

Maybe you don’t like the Beatles. Maybe you spent your childhood with a bucket of plastic bricks, putting together epic castles and interstellar ships. We’ve already seen several games make the jump into the Lego world, like Lego Batman and Lego Star Wars, and now they’ve done the same with Rock Band with the appropriately named Lego Rock Band.

You don’t get to control the little yellow-headed mini-figs, per se, but they take over the place of the regular Rock Band participants. This makes for quite a funny appearance for Rock Band, but that’s not where the Legofication ends. The notes coming down the highway, if you look very closely, are not solid bars; they’re little Lego pieces themselves.

The track list is meant to be “suitable for younger audiences,” fitting in with the overall Lego theme. Rock Band songs have always been censored for language, but I guess they tackle the messages in the songs too. Among the songs announced thus far are The Final Countdown by Europe, Kung Fu Fighting by Carl Douglas, and So what by Pink.

Here’s a quick HD video demo of the game in action:

Lego Rock Band is slated for release this holiday season for the PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, and Nintendo DS.

Now that you’ve been teased by the gameplay video, let’s go over each of the titles to better understand what they’re all about!

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom

Originally released as an exclusive in Japan late last year, Tatsunoko vs. Capcom will indeed be coming to the United States later this year. More specifically, the Capcom rep that I asked said that the Wii-bound fighting game should start shipping some time in the winter.

On the surface, the gameplay of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom will look very much like the experience that you would get with the Marvel vs. Capcom fighting game series that you already know. You pick two characters, mixing and matching characters from Tatsunoko and Capcom properties, and then you can “tag” between them during the match. You will see the usual “red” damage on your health meter and this will regenerate on the character not currently being used in the session.

Some of you may be familiar with some of the Tatsunoko characters, like Ken the Eagle from Science Ninja Team Gatchaman, but I’m thinking that the majority of North American players won’t know who these guys are. I know that I don’t. It’ll be interesting to see how the American audience responds to this game.

In terms of controls, however, you can almost say that Tatsunoko vs. Capcom is Street Fighter for dummies. Rather than the usual six-button layout with three punches and three kicks, you only get three attack buttons: light, medium, and hard. It does not differentiate between a punch and a kick. A fourth button is used for tagging your partner.

At the very least, this indicates that Capcom has some interest in bringing more fighting games to the Nintendo Wii (and in North America). We probably won’t get a smaller version of Street Fighter IV any time soon, but maybe they’ll work on another versus game for the Wii fighting fans out there.

Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny

The portable market wants some fighting games too. Even now, one of my favorite games on the Sony PSP is Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. Well, Namco has brought its other fighting game franchise over to the PSP as well in the form of Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny. The gameplay remains largely unchanged from other Soul Calibur games, except you’ll be playing it on Sony’s handheld. You still get to wield a wide range of weapons and many of your favorite characters, like Mitsurugi and Cassandra, are back in action.

With the demo game on display at E3 Expo, we were only able to choose from about eight characters, but Namco has indicated that there should be at least 20 (if not more) characters in the final build. As is the norm with Soul Calibur games, they’ve also enlisted the services of a cameo brawler.

For Soul Calibur IV on the Xbox 360, we saw Yoda. On the PS3, we got Darth Vader. For Broken Destiny on the PSP, we get none other than Kratos from God of War. Sadly, he was not a selectable character in the demo, so I can’t say exactly how well or how poorly he plays.

No exact date has been set, but we should expect Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny exclusively on the PSP this summer.

The Futurelooks team is off to sunny Los Angeles to cover the Electronic Entertainment Expo, known affectionately in most circles simply as the E3 Expo. The 2009 edition of this video game convention isn’t really supposed to be a throwback to its former glory days, per se, but the organizers have indicated that this year’s E3 show will be a fair bit bigger than it has been in recent years.

Not surprisingly, all of the big boys should be in attendance. What is Nintendo going to bring to the table this time? What about Microsoft? How about Sony’s camp? And let’s not forget about all of those wonderful developers, publishers, and video game accessory companies that’ll also be at E3 this year.

There’s really no saying for sure what the show will have in store for us, but I’m not afraid to venture an educated guess.

Pushing Out More Nintendo DSiWare Titles

As you may already know, the Nintendo DSi launched just under two months ago in North America. It’s not a brand new handheld from Nintendo, per se, as much as it is an evolution of the existing Nintendo DS Lite. It brings a few notable changes, like the inclusion of dual cameras, an SD card slot, and perhaps most importantly, the opening of the Nintendo DSi Shop. It’s there that you’ll find the equivalent of an Xbox Live Arcade or Wii Virtual Console in the palm of your Wi-Fi connected hands.

I’m not entire sure what sort of DSiWare titles that Nintendo and other development studios have in the works, but I do know that the DSi will get its fair share of attention at the show. A short while ago, I heard about a game called Ghostwire by A Different Game and it makes use of the DSi’s outward-facing camera. In effect, your real world becomes the environment for the game, except the game world happens to be populated by ghosts and ghouls.

Unveiling the New Sony PS3 Slim

The huge rumor currently making its rounds through the tubes of the Internet is the possible unveiling of an updated Sony PlayStation 3. Just as Sony did with the first PlayStation, as well as the PlayStation 2, word is that there will be some variation of a PS3 Slim.

The leaked spy shot above is meant to depict the box art that will appear on this new slim PS3. Naturally, very little is known about the proposed update to the PS3, but we do know that Sony is currently in a world of hurt and it needs something to get us excited about the brand again. A slimmer, less expensive PS3 could be the way to do that.

That said, we’re still in the middle of the current console generation and Sony didn’t usher in the slim variations of the PSone and PS2 until their respective next-gens were just around the corner.

In this way, as much as I think it would be nice to see a slimmer and more compact version of the PlayStation 3, I believe that it is much more likely that Sony will only present us with a new SKU for the PS3, just as when they adjusted the hard drive size the last couple of years. The new SKU may include some bundled games or maybe a “special version” of the PS3 in some way.

“And there’s no way I can pay you back.
But my plan is to show you that I understand.
You are appreciated”.

Tupac Shakur probably isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think about Mother’s Day, but the late great rapper really loved his mama. I think we all love our mothers and that’s partly why it can be so difficult to find the right Mother’s Day present. As ‘Pac said, there really is no way that you can ever pay her back, but what can you do to show her that she’s appreciated?

Seeing as how you’re already tech-inclined, it only makes sense for you to make use of that expertise when selecting the right Mother’s Day presents. Let me walk you through a few possible gift options.

Help Mom Stay Fit with the Nintendo Wii

One of the hottest items during the holiday shopping season a few months ago was Wii Fit for the Nintendo Wii. With its yoga exercises, strength training, and fun balance games, it was a great way to introduce the moms of the world to the joys of the Nintendo Wii. The Balance Board was also a pretty nifty innovation.

Chances are that your mom is growing a little tired of Wii Fit by now, so it’s time to upgrade her Wii library with another health-oriented title. My Fitness Coach from Ubisoft is even less of a “game” than Wii Fit, instead providing you with a virtual trainer named Maya who will help you work toward your fitness goal. There are almost 500 unique exercises in all.

What about when mom is away from the Wii? Ubisoft has a similar title for the Nintendo DS called My Weight Loss Coach. This comes bundled with a pedometer to track her daily activity, as well as 10 coaching sessions, 500 challenges, and four awareness-building trivia games.

My Fitness Coach for the Wii and My Weight Loss Coach for the DS retail for about thirty bucks each, though many online stores are now selling them for less. If you’re mom is more into blasting zombies into oblivion, a Wii blaster or zapper may be more appropriate.

Staying Connected with a BlackBerry Smartphone

I’ve said many times before that smartphones are no longer restricted to the realm of three-piece suits and corporate boardrooms. The added functionality and utility of a smartphone can be incredibly useful to just about anyone, and this includes all the soccer moms in the audience as well. They’ve got shopping lists to maintain, appointments to remember, and household expenses to track.

Choosing a smartphone can be a highly subjective experience, so don’t think so much about what phone you want. Think about what phone she would want. An inexpensive and simple option might be the Palm Centro, but a more recent phone that’s popular with the ladies is the BlackBerry Pearl Flip. Clamshells are quite the hit, but this flip phone is a full-fledged BlackBerry. The Pearl Flip can be had (close to) free with contract or about $300 unsubsidized. More info can be found on the Blackberry website.

If your mom already has a suitable smartphone to help her live her life, you can alternatively consider a range of cell phone accessories for Mother’s Day as well.

In case you haven’t already noticed, there are a lot of Nintendo Wii accessories out there for you to enjoy. Even if you decide that you really want to have a Wii zapper of some kind, you’ll find that you’ll be bombarded by a myriad of choices as well. Which Wii blaster is the best?

While this guide isn’t exhaustive (there are far too many Wii zapper options to list them all), we did aim to give you a good overview of what is available when it comes to the gun attachments on the Nintendo Wii. By using one of these fun accessories, you just may get your girlfriend into gaming after all. Oh yes, she’ll love blasting the bad guys.

Nintendo Wii Zapper with Link’s Crossbow Training

I suppose it makes the most sense to start with the original. The first official gun attachment to hit the Nintendo Wii came from Nintendo itself. Known simply as the Wii Zapper, this is a single unified plastic shell that provides you with a “Tommy gun”-like experience on the Wii.

The Wii Remote is housed near the front of the Wii Zapper, whereas the Nunchuk attachment finds its home near the back. It’s up to you whether you want your left hand or your right hand to lead. As with all official Nintendo accessories, the Wii Zapper is very well-built and you’ll have no trouble getting the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to fit properly. The cord management, since the Nunchuk still has that cable, is also quite good. There is a hatched compartment in front of the Nunchuk portion.

As an added bonus, the Wii Zapper comes bundled with a free copy of Link’s Crossbow Training and can be found for around $19US or less. Although not nearly as robust as a full game, it is a great title for introducing you to the Wii Zapper. I’d say it falls under the same category as Wii Sports.

Nyko Perfect Shot

As an alternative to the Wii Zapper, the Nyko Perfect Shot offers a form factor that is closer to being a regular hand gun. There is a connector pass-through in case you need to make use of the Nunchuk attachment, but the Perfect Shot does not have a shell for the Nunchuk itself.

While fundamentally effective in what it wants to achieve, the Nyko Perfect Shot is far from perfect. I had quite a bit of trouble getting the Wii Remote to fit into its slot on the top of the gun attachment. The back portion makes it difficult to line up the Wii Remote with the connector. I think the “hood” in the back needs to be retracted.

Looking to the future, Nyko says that it will have new versions of the Perfect Shot that utilize their special Nyko Wand Wii Remote alternative. Instead of simple mechanical input to hit the buttons, it will use an electronic interface where the shell and the Wand can have two-way communication. The current version as shown should run you about $14.99 US.

No, I’m not talking directly about the folks over at Notre Dame, but the mascot is in line with my current suggestion. As you sip back on that green ale, perhaps it is appropriate to enjoy the spirit of the fighting Irish through a myriad of fighting games. It’s much more acceptable for you to let out that aggression through a video game than it is for you to go picking a bar fight. Believe me, there are no ultra combos and special moves at the bar.

Want to enjoy some fighting games? Let’s see what the major consoles have to offer.

Street Fighter IV

For fighting game fans, the release of this highly anticipated sequel can easily trump the releases of Halo 3 or Final Fantasy XIII. Who cares about finishing the fight when Street Fighter IV is here?

This fighting game is positively epic, cashing on the nostalgic value of Street Fighter II, while introducing a few new elements that keep us captivated for hours on end. For example, the parry system that we found in Street Fighter III has been replaced with what are called focus attacks. These can cancel moves and pass through guards. There are also two separate meters for super specials and ultra moves, the latter of which charge up by getting beat up.

The art style in Street Fighter IV is a sharp departure from Street Fighter games in the past. If you check out the opening cinematic, you’ll notice that Capcom went with a much more stylized look for this iteration of the fighting game series. While the graphics take on a 3D appearance, the actual gameplay is still consists of the two-dimensional fireballs and flash kicks that we all know and love.

Street Fighter IV boasts 25 characters in all, including the original eight, the original four bosses, and a few other favorites that you may recognize from the Alpha series. You get the likes of Blanka, Guile, Sagat, Sakura, Dan, and more. Even more impressive are the appearances of Akuma and Gouken. Yes, the fabled “Sheng Long” is finally here.

If you’re looking to bring the Street Fighter experience into your living room but don’t want to bother with the slightly altered gameplay style of Street Fighter IV, you may want to hit up the PlayStation Network or Xbox Live Arcade to find Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix. This is basically a “remixed” version of the original Super Street Fighter II Turbo, so the speed and familiarity are totally intact. And yes, it’s got Akuma too.

The stereotype says that video games are only for boys, but the industry is quickly changing to accommodate the fairer sex. It may take some convincing and you may need to tear down some pre-conceived notions, but it is very possible to get your girlfriend into gaming. That way, she can understand why you spend so many hours on Xbox Live belting out instructions to those in your squadron.

Why You Want Your Girlfriend to Game with You

Before I dive any deeper into the subject, I need to say that this guide is not for girlfriends who are already well-versed in Resistance and Gears of War. If your girlfriend (or spouse) is already fragging the crap out of your friends in Portal and Team Fortress, then this guide does not apply to her.

However, I think it’s safe to say that there are a good number of girlfriends out there who just don’t understand our infatuation with gaming. She doesn’t understand why I’m getting so excited about Street Fighter IV, because “isn’t it like all the other Street Fighters before it?” The goal of this guide is to introduce the world of gaming (and its appeal) to our significant others. That way, she won’t be so pissed off when you choose to boot up the Xbox 360 rather than watch “27 Dresses”. Again.

It Starts with Casual Gaming

Carrie Underwood and America Ferrera have both said that they love playing on the Nintendo DS. Even Nicole Kidman keeps her mind sharp by playing Brain Age. Kate Winslet told E! during the SAG Awards that she loves playing Wii Sports with her kids.

To get your girlfriend interested in video games, you have to take baby steps. Don’t throw her into the complexities of Fallout 3 as her first outing. Instead, you need to start with casual gaming titles, like many of those offered on the Nintendo Wii. Casual games are not nearly as intimidating and they are much more approachable.

Appeal to their pre-existing preferences. If your significant other likes yoga, try investing in Wii Fit, for example. Is she great in the kitchen? Cooking Mama could be the ticket. The key is to have a game that is easy to approach and offers instant gratification. She may not enjoy Madden 09, but she can have a lot of fun playing New Super Mario Bros.