Sunday, May 31, 2009

Microsoft needs another 5 minutes...Special Announcement


And in the 11th hour, Microsoft sends word via Carrier Pigeon (the only true, reliable messenger service), they have made room for a "special addition" in their announcement lineup. Now will they announce this whopper during the 5 minutes before? Or make you wait till the very end? We'll find out tomorrow at 10:30am PST 10:25am PST (1:25pm EST).

Until then, sleep tight and dream of pixels

Friday, May 29, 2009

What will KOF XII online bring to the table?

It is no big surprise that SNK and Ignition have announced that their upcoming title King of Fighters XII will have online capabilities. However, they have released more details regarding what to expect for their entry to the fighting genre.



To start, there will be no regional restrictions to who you will go up against and lobbies will consist of up to eight players, one upping other unnamed fighting games currently available. The reason for the larger lobby is to provide and arcade experience where attendees wait in line to fight the winner, insert Mortal Kombat II flashback here.



Lobby settings allow various ways fights are chosen, such as winner stays, loser stays, sparring, and player match. Online battles are graded as well and results are posted on a public leader board.



Also like another big name game in this genre, there will be exclusives to both the XBox 360 and the Playstation 3. The PS3 will get a clan mode which allows recruiting members and battling other clans, while the XBox 360 gets Truskill online ranking allowing replay and sharing of recording matches.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

We have more reviews coming!




Life here at Mashbuttons can get busy and hectic at times, but don't you worry, we have all (read: some) of the latest game releases in our queue set to review. Just a few that we have getting ready to peek out of the barn:

Battlestations: Pacific (Xbox 360)
Terminator: Salvation (Xbox 360)
Broken Steel (Fallout 3 latest DLC) (Xbox 360)
Wallace and Gromit: Episode 2 (PC)

And a few more in the incubator include:

Punch-Out (Wii)
Boom Blox Bash Party (Wii)
Bionic Commando (Xbox 360)

And we're hoping to have Protype as it's released in the next week. So we're busy, but we'll continue to work hard to bring you the unbiased news and reviews you have come to expect from Mashbuttons.com - Stay tuned!

Wallace and Gromit episodes now available individually | PC gaming


Though we just posted on some other W&G related news upon the release of the XBLA version, I thought it prudent, and becuase I'm bound by a strict code of duty to you, dear reader to inform you of the recent changes in how you may procure said title.

So you say you're not quite willing to plunk down the $34.95 for the 4 episode (season) bundle, that you'd like to test the waters for say, $8.95? Well that sounds tempting now doesn't it. Now you can purchase single episodes (of which there are 2 released on the PC, and only the first hit the XBLA today), for only $8.95 an episode. I'd say that's just over a dollar cheaper than the XBLA counterpart. Now you have to take the good with the bad - you won't be able to get any achievements (boo!), you can demo the title for free on XBLA, but most importantly, you will always be about an episode behind on release.

With the above information, I feel confident, that I've armed you with the proper tools, knowledge and foresight to make the best judgement for your needs. Cause you can do worse things for yourself, than play this Grand Adventure!

XBLA Wednesday | Boggle, Yosumin! LIVE and Wallace and Gromit

Another week, another round of Xbox Live Arcade releases, this time with another addition to the Hasbro Family Game Night - Boggle, the Squenix puzzle sensation (that's sweepin' the nation?) Yosumin! LIVE, and rounding out the three, is none other than TellTale's Wallace and Gromit's episodic adventure not just for your PC.

Lets do this in no particular order, than the order than it's currently in (all ye conspiracy theorist, can debate on why we picked this order, if you want). Starting the list is Boggle, the newest entry in the Hasbro Family Game Night, designed to tap into your nostalgia, while doing a good job of slowly micro-tapping into your wallet over the release of each new board game. I don't need to tell you about Boggle, you've played it, but there are some notable enhancements, so you should check out the demo at the very least.

Next up is the latest from Square Enix that's NOT an RPG...(do they do those anymore? You'd be hard pressed to believe it). This time it's a new "puzzle game where the aim is to find rectangles of matching tiles known as 'yosumin' and make them disappear". Simple enough, and devilishy so - give it a go!

Lastly, is the XBLA release of the first (of four) episodes in the Wallace and Gromit's Episodic adventure, subtitled "Fright of the Bumblebees". We've already put up some coverage and review of the title for the PC - though the gameplay is identical. For those who love a good point and click adventure, laced with the fun, witty writing of some of the best Wallace and Gromit material, you can do no wrong in picking up this title. This is our recommendation of the week, you owe it to yourself, (and us, now pay up cheapskates) to pick this title up.

You can queue up your downloads from any ol' internet browser via the links below:
Boggle - Hasbro Family Game Night (800 points)
Yosumin! LIVE (800 points)
Wallace and Gromit: Episode 1 Fright of the BumbleBees (800 points)

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Elizabeth and Mature are anniversary present to King of Fighters



2009 is the year of big fighting game anniversaries. I started with Street Fighter 4 and it's 20th anniversary. and coming July is the 15th anniversary of King of Fighters.



SNK Playmore and Ignition Entertainment is providing it's loyal fans with the addition of two new fighters to the already strong 20 fighter line up. The new fighters are Elizabeth and Mature were previously announce but here is a video and some pictures of the two.



King of Fighters XII will be shipping in July for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3.

Another FUEL video to tide you over until the 26th

Last week, we provided you with a dose multiplayer goodness regarding what to expect when playing FUEL online. Now we have a video showing the 16 player free ride and it looks pretty promising.



Straying from the typical races on closed tracks is about as taboo as coloring outside the lines, you want to do it, but you have always been told not to. Now there is 5000 square miles to race and ride through, and you know if you ever get bored, you can take the destructive route, chase down, and wreck your choice of 15 other players.

Multiplayer free ride lets players gather to explore the massive world, find collectibles, and enjoy ad hoc races. FUEL is scheduled to launch June 2nd on the XBox 360 and Playstation 3, while the PC is slated for a later release.

Overlord Dark Legend goes midieval on fairytales

What is better than control twisted little minions to do your evil deeds? Nothing other than doing your evil deeds in some of the fairytale setting we all grew up on, of course.



In Overlord Dark Legend, you play a younger teenage Overlord with a supporting cast consisting of a minion horde. Your goal? Well, that is to take all your bottled teenage oppression and take it out your local fairytale neighbors, while protecting your castle and land.

Overlord Dark Legend releases for Wii domination on June 23rd, and even comes with a minion figurine if preordered from GameStop.

Ignition and Tecmo makes us Nostalgic!



A new RPG was just announced from Ignition Entertainment and Tecmo, for the gamer on the go. The same developers behind the DS versions of Final Fantasy III and IV are taking you into a different but incredibly similar sounding world, filled with airships, treasure looting, and dungeon crawling. I know, I know, we have done this many times before, but as the saying goes, if it isn't broken, don't fix it.



The title takes place in the 19th century, sending you and your crew of in game characters through real world locations, such as Tokyo, London, New York, Cairo, South Africa, and Russia. I see that there will be a little break from the norm., while sticking to what works well on the handheld.



Nostalgia, is scheduled for a Summer release for the Nintendo DS and judging by the screenshots, it will be easy to tell what to expect. Another RPG to invest a good 40 plus hours into while waiting for the Next Final Fantasy remake for the DS.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

X-Men Origins Wolverine | Review



Synopsis: Activision has recently released X-Men Origins: Wolverine and is available now for the Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Playstation 2, PC, Nintendo DS, and the Nintendo Wii. Raven Software has previously released other action RPG’s using characters from the Marvel universe such X-Men legends, X-Men Legends II, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Wolverine breaks away from the focus on the RPG element, placing the emphasis on action. In this title, you take on the role of Wolverine, eviscerating anything in your way using over a hundred available moves. Rage abilities, feral senses, and regeneration powers make this entry stand out from the other games available in the action game genre. Lastly, the game ties to the blockbuster movie using voice acting from the likes of Hugh Jackman, Will.i.am, and Liev Schreiber without making the game feel like another mediocre movie games.



Praise: The action in the title is amazing; with extremely fast paced action while being very fluid. You have your standard light and heavy attacks, with throws, and new move I have not used before, lunging. Lunging is definitely a welcome feature, allowing you to lock on to a target, throw yourself at that enemy and follow up with a series of additional attacks depending on how wish to destroy your opponent. Using the environment is also a fun way to rid yourself of large groups of baddies, whether you want to impale them on stakes placed in the walls and ground or throw them off a cliff. The graphics are crisp and realistic adding to the cinematic feel, while slowing down and zooming in to show exactly how you are going to kill your opponent. Boss fights are very big and keep you on your toes to find a way to exploit a weakness, take the boss out and move on to the next scenario. I have never been a big fan of voice acting, but being that anyone that thinks of Wolverine, immediately pictures Hugh Jackman with sideburns, bulging muscles, and claws, so it is aesthetically pleasing to know the developers got the voice actors from the movie, to provide the dialogue for the game. The biggest thing I would like to address is that this is not your typical movie game, even though it does follow events seen in the blockbuster hit, it still adds depths to the story seen in the movie along with emphasizing the action scenes found in the movie.



Gripes: Unfortunately, there were a few things that stuck with me while playing though this game; the camera, slowdown of frame rate, and repetitiveness of the gameplay. The camera problem is nowhere near as bad as the camera control in Ninja Gaiden 2 or Afro Samurai, the issue that I have with the camera are that in the middle of a heated action scene, the camera tends to automatically moves to a view that you may immediately try to correct so you can see what you are attacking, or the camera moves underneath Wolverine or behind the environment so that you are looking through walls or the ground you are standing on. There was also a slowdown in frame rate sometimes when you are in a crowded room with a lot of action taking place, so if you have a hard drive with some extra space, you may want to install the game to eliminate this from reoccurring. Lastly, there seems to be a lot of receptiveness to the gameplay, that was noticed from time to time on some levels, but as soon as you think your are repeatedly do the same thing, you are quickly engrossed in a large battles that have you thinking of different ways to best wipe everyone out.



Overall, this game is very entertaining, and stands out from other games in the action genre. You also do not want to go into this title expecting it to be the typical movie game, as it redefines movie games previously released. The most exciting part of this title lies within the speed and fluidity of the gameplay. Though it does have some nuances, the high points tend to make the issues easily forgettable. Fans of the movie, comic fanboys, and action junkies alike will not be disappointed either, as the game holds true to Logan’s past.



Mashbuttons.com gives X-Men Origins: Wolverine 7.5 out of 10

Monday, May 18, 2009

Madden NFL 10 Video Documentary and Screens


Last week, EA SPORTS released the first installment of a new series dubbed "Madden NFL 10 Developer Series", which is a 5-part video documentary series capturing some behind-the-scenes looks and insight into the award-winning franchise...I know, and somehow...WE MISSED IT.

That is, until today. Here's the first vid-doc focusing on the new "Pro-Tak Animation System", featuring updates from the development team, describing the impact of the new technology and how it provides "unprecedented control over every play"

That sounds cool - be sure to check out the vid embedded below, and come back as additional documentaries will be available in the coming weeks, leading up to the release this August 14th.



We've also posted a few screens for you to gaze your eyes upon...

How many Madden fans do we have in the crowd?

Friday, May 15, 2009

Seriously, really-cool, bad-ass video game wallpapers | Seriously

The internet is very wise, vast and knowledgable...so vast that we've just recently stumbled upon these incredible fan-made game "remixed" wallpapers from DeviantART contributor Orioto's gallery. Check out some of our favorites below, but be sure to check out the FULL gallery at this link and download yourself some awesome new wallpapers.


DKC by *Orioto on deviantART



Yoshi's Playground by *Orioto on deviantART


Green Hill Zone by *Orioto on deviantART


Mario World by *Orioto on deviantART

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Telltale Games 5 Year Anniverary | Milestones



Congratulations are in order for our dear friends over at TellTale Games, who have just kicked off their 5-year anniversary celebrating 1,825 days of great games, and One Million Episodes distributed.

Check it out yourself at www.telltalegames.com/anniversary and be sure to sign-up to be part of the community and their new "Spread the Word" campaign which allows members to earn store credit by referring friends (and strangers) to buy some TellTale games!

The list of titles is long, and legendary, including Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, the Sam and Max series on PC and most recently, the Wallace and Gromit series that we've been covering on the site. Everyone loves a good bullet-list, so here's one from their press release straight to your brain:
  • Working with well-known licenses including Aardman Animations' Wallace & Gromit, Homestarrunner.com's Strong Bad, Steve Purcell's Sam & Max, Jeff Smith's Bone, and television's CSI.
  • Releasing the first regularly-scheduled episodic series on PC (Sam & Max) and the first monthly game series for a console (Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People on WiiWare™)
  • Selling over 1,000,000 game episodes worldwide across all channels, platforms, and formats
  • Releasing over 20 games since Spring 2005
  • Developing for PC, Xbox 360™, and Wii™
Be sure to support them, and come back often for more news and reviews. Mashbuttons out!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Overlord 2 Pre-Order Swag



Fans of the original Overlord game, get a little something extra if the pre-order Overlord II, Overlord Dark Legend, or Overlord Minions through GameStop.



Anyone that pre-orders one of the three eligible titles will recieve a minion figurine. How can you go wrong with pre-order swag? It is free, and my Afro Samurai and Barricade figurines need company. For those new to the series or just want to play again until the June 23rd, might as well pick up a copy while pre-ordering, it is only $17.99 used, before using the Edge card discount.



Overlord II ships June 23rd for the XBox 360, Playstation 3, and PC, while Overlord: Dark Legend is available for the Wii, and Overlord Minions for the DS.

'Events' of FUEL through interpretive video



Codemasters' latest video for their upcoming release, FUEL, shows us the numerous gameplay events. Players are able to compete in hundreds of events or have the opportunity to create their on starting on May 26th.



5000 Square miles is your for the taking whether you want to use the terrain to take down a helicopter in 'Chopper Chase', collide with your rivals to destroy them in 'Seek and Destroy', or race checkpoint to checkpoint in 'Blitz' and 'Speed Run'. The classic gameplay modes of 'Checkpoint', 'Circuit', and 'Raid' as also at the player's disposal



The online capabilities allow for 16 players to race against each other or explore via free ride using quads, buggies, bikes, cars, and trucks. If that does not work then just use the race editor to make your own event to share online.

Get your copy of FUEL May 26th on XBox 360, Playstation 3, and PC.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Marvel brings us newest Halo entry...in hardcover?


All right, I know we are not a comic news and review site, but what if the comic was from Marvel and is about Halo? That counts right?

Marvel is releasing a hardcover collection bridging the gap between Halo 2 and Halo 3's storyline, titled Halo Uprising. Writer Brian Bendis and artist Alex Maleev are the duo responsible for providing Halo fans their fix.

Halo: Uprising hardcover goes up for sale on June 3rd, 2009 for the price of $24.99.Until then, make your way over to www.marvel.com/halo to check out Marvel's Halo Uprising HC site and free digital comic.

Codemasters gives us the DiRT on DiRT 2

DiRT studio tour is the newest video showing what is going on behind closed doors in the development of DiRT 2. Okay, maybe it is not as exciting as it sounds, unless that is your sort of thing, but we did get so see what changes are going to be made from the original title.

In comparison to Codemasters original, DiRT, water will have a more significant effect to how the car controls and will slow down the vehicle from the drag it creates. Along with these new physics, body kits are interchangeable depending on the type of race and the handling has been changed to add more to the sense of realism. Some other details indicate that the game will have social networking functions to become part of an extreme sports community, could be interesting.



Looks like I will be playing the four letter "F" word racing game that comes out this month until DiRT 2 gets closer. Fuel not fu...oh nevermind check out the "Studio Tour" video.

DiRT 2, one of the many four letter word racing games, will be available this September for the XBox 360 and Playstations, PC, Wii, DS, and PSP.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Plants vs. Zombies | Review

How can PopCap games follow up the incredibly simple, hour destroying, sleep losing, and peg destroying Peggle? Easy, just have some zombies start invading you front and back yard, while trying to defend it with plants, surprised?

Plants vs Zombies is an action strategy game, which ads humor to the formula, I mean come on, what is not funny about plants fighting zombies, throw Crazy Dave in the mix with the occasional Thriller-esque and you have an instant hit. The player goes up against zombie hordes bent on making their way into your house, and you must defeat them by purchasing plants to keep your home and family safe.



Praise: Everything, no really, this game targets EVERYONE! I admit I have dabbled in a number of PopCap’s titles and with each release come a new level of addiction. Amidst trying to play through the game so that I can complete this review, my computer was taken over by my wife and child twice. The gameplay is very smooth allowing you to quickly throw plants in your yard once you have enough sunlight to purchase them, and the plants start doing their job of zombie slaying as soon as they are placed. The graphics are very bright and fluid accompanied by a fitting horror movie soundtrack which intensity rises the huge packs of zombies storm your yard. After a few levels are out of the way, new modes and mini games thrown at the player such as bowling and whack-a-zombie. New items are also rewarded to help complete future levels, with 40 plus plants and tool, makes for numerous ways to move on to the next wave of invading undead. Additional game modes eliminate the feeling of monotony and add a sufficient amount of replay value.

Gripes: One of the main things that stuck out in my mind is the speed of zombies and sunlight to accumulate. In the beginning of each level you must wait for sunlight to fall from the sky or have be produced by your plants or sit staring at the screen waiting for one lonesome zombie to cross the screen close enough for your plants to unleash their fury. Luckily, you don’t spend too much time waiting before you are franticly throwing down plants. The only other thing is that some of the levels get pretty lengthy for a casual player, not a big deal, just makes it more difficult to bang out a few levels if you have a couple minutes to kill.



Overall: As I said before, PopCap did what they do best, provided yet another highly addictive and comically fun title to their library. You turn this on to kill some time waiting to go to work or play for a little bit before bed and the next thing you know you are late for work, or realize it is 2 in the morning. Yeah, I fell victim to this last night and this morning.

Plants vs. Zombies is available now from PopCap.com on the PC and Apple for $19.95. A free trial is also available from their site if you are skeptical, but not needed, you won’t be let down.



Mashbuttons.com gives Plants vs. Zombies a 9.5 out of 10

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

XBLA Wednesday | Space Invaders Extreme and MORE

Today in XBLA releases, is 3 brand spankin' new titles looking to take up a permanent residence on your Xbox 360 Hard Drive. The first is Space Invaders Extreme - yes, the decades old classic is back and more extreme than eva!! Updated for the Hi-def era, taking full advantage of today's visuals and sound, this is still the classic gameplay you can just pick up and play.

The second title is Zombie Wranglers...from Xbox.com:

Be very, very quiet… we’re wrangling Zombies!! Save the city of Potters Field from an infestation of zany zombies in the quirky and comical Zombie Wranglers! Armed with a souped up Wrangler-Pack and your own unique special abilities, play as one of the four gallant apprentice Wranglers and rescue your neighborhood before it’s too late

And last, but we're not sure if it's least, we have Arkanoid LIVE, which is another "always imitated, but never equalled" title from the good 'ol days. This is no BrickBreaker on your Blackberry - this is the REAL thing!

You can queue up the download from these links:
Space Invaders Extreme
Zombie Wranglers
Arkanoid Live

Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures, Ep 2 | The Last Resort


Telltale's latest episode in the highly-praised, Wallace and Gromit's Grand Adventures is available right now for your PC's inputs and outputs (XBLA version coming soon). "The Last Resort" is the 2nd of four episodes, the last two slated for release in June and July.

From the release:

In the new episode, Wallace and Gromit's Blackpool holiday is rained out, so the enterprising inventor and his clever dog bring the beach to their basement with the construction of West Wallaby Waterworld, a makeshift resort complete with sun, sand, and Wallace's homemade boardwalk attractions. Keeping their guests satisfied turns out to be tricky business, particularly after one is thumped on the head by an unknown assailant. Everyone is a suspect! Now Wallace and Gromit must work together to finger the culprit, with a little help from Wallace's latest invention: the Deductomatic.

Be sure to check out our FULL Review of the first episode "Fright of the Bumblebees" and return for our thoughts on the follow-up "The Last Resort" later this week.

Ghostbusters: The Game provides us with release details



Atari has just announced their worldwide plans for the launch of the latest release Ghostbusters: The Video Game. The launch of the Game coincides with the 25th anniversary of the theatrical release along with the launch of the first Ghostbusters movie on Blu-Ray. I now dub June 16th...Ghostbusters Day!



The Ghostbusters game is written by the original writers, Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd, along with using many of the original cast members. The plot takes the player to 2 years after the original story in Manhattan, once again being terrified by ghosts.Gamers play as a new recruit to the original team to capture the paranormal.



Ghostbusters: The Video Game is scheduled to be released on June 16th for XBox 360, Wii, Playstation 3, PC, and Nintendo DS. The PSP version is coming world wide in Autumn of 2009. For more information, please visit www.ghostbustersgame.com.

SORRY! Review | XBLA

As our dear friend Gilly would say, "Sorry!" is the latest board game to be pixelated and graphicized and added to the Family Game Night on XBLA this past Wednesday. Adding to an already long list of board games including Battleship and Yahtzee to name a few, Sorry! is just as you remembered it from your childhood. Originally adopted by Parker Brothers in 1934, if you've never played this at some family function, you should write to someone explaining your messed up childhood. But that's just it, most likely you've played Sorry! before, so there's little need of discussing the finer strategies and skills of it (hint: there are none!)


Coming in at 800 Microsoft points ($10 to those of us still using the ever-decreasing USD), the game by itself is a little pricey, but that's only when you compare the fact that all 7 of the games on the Hasbro Family Game Night are available on one retail disc for the Wii and PS2 for less than $50, though the actual board game will cost you $16.99 currently on Amazon (so some might even say it's a bargain?).

The integration with the features you've come to love (or hate) with XBLA games, (Avatar and Party support) will set it apart from simply playing with your family around the kitchen table and is a nice touch to be sure. The only complaint I had was that it just about made me dizzy watching Mr Potato Head run around the board in a circle, I longed for a feature to turn him off.


A slightly skewed score, we've rated the game based on two time-lines. The first for nostalgia, the second for present-day relevance and how it holds up.

Present-day Rating (7 out of 10) - SORRY! is sorry for the current generation. At least at it's basic premise. That's not a negative towards the game more than the current generation is looking for something more. But as far as the original is concerned, you can't go wrong with an all digital version.

Nostalgic Rating (8 out of 10) - SORRY! is one of the classics. Easily in the top 5 games that anyone can play, with little need for strategy development, etc, and with a newborn in my family, I look forward to playing with my own family - Now if they can pixelate and graphicize ALL my board games from my closet, that would save alot of space.

You can queue up the download via the Xbox Live Marketplace here and stay tuned as we hope to review the full catalog the Family Game Night offers.

Friday, May 1, 2009

New Punch-Out - Follow on Twitter!


Yo Mac! There's a new Punch-Out game coming out! Nah, it doesn't have Mike Tyson's name on or around the game, but that's alright.

It's been a 15 year hiatus, now Little Mac is back! Joining the best of the original cast (fighters) from the original Punch-Out in a re-boot of the series on the Nintendo Wii. Familiar names like Glass Joe, Von Kaiser, and King Hippo will make up the bulk of the fighters, and one newcomer, Disco Kid.
Now, the game is right around the corner. May 18th, to be exact - in the meantime, the WVBA is twitterin', and they want YOU to follow them. As of this post, there are 225 followers, lets show them how much we love our classic re-makes of 80's NES games!

Check out the trailer embedded below and keep checking in for more updates and hopeully a full review in the next few weeks.



Holy Bad-News Batman! | Rumor (UPDATE - Confirmed)


***Update: We just got official word from our contact, that this title has indeed been delayed until "end of summer 2009". Though this is bad news for us inpatient gamers, it's potentially great news, as an extra month or so of polish can really ensure a great gaming experience. On a scale of 1-10, how upset are you with a small (all things considered) delay to better the experience?

Say it isn't so Bruce! Someone knocked over the jar of bees and they are flying in every direction this morning with buzz - buzz that our beloved Batman Arkham Asylum has been, (possibly) delayed until later this year. In fact the rumor comes to us via Joystiq, via Game Informer magazine, citing a "source close to the game" that the title is in push-back-city. This is a dark night indeed. We have inquires out to our contacts to see if they can confirm or deny the rumor.

We'll update as we learn more...

In the meantime, you can cry over this new video showing the combat in game in lots of super-slow-mo glory!