If you wish to read my review of Episode 1: Fright of the Bumblebees and get more background, click here. My review of Episode 2: The Last Resort is here. The most recent, Episode 3: Muzzled! is here. All good things must come to an end, so they say. As it is in overused quotes, so it is with the delightful Wallace&Gromit's Grand Adventures from Telltale Games. This marks the fourth and final tale of England's favourite inventor and his clever canine companion. Alliteration aside, Episode 4: The Bogey Man closes up any holes left in the moderately overarching narrative of the tetralogy while leaving more than adequate room to follow up with a new story for this duo. Read More...

So another one is out. I won't bother you with what Guitar Hero is, nor will I bore you with details about how the game is played, or whether it plays well. Yes, it plays well, and yes, it is same as it always has been, press the note on the bars then strum when the according color passes the bar. However, there are some new additions that make Guitar Hero 5 the best Guitar Hero yet. Party play is long overdue, and something that was almost added into Rock Band 1. Party play is just that, a mode for a party. Read More...

If I’m not mistaken, Batman: Arkham Asylum is the twenty-first video game centered around the Dark Knight. Going all the way back to 1986 and the first game, appropriately titled Batman, I’ve only really found a handful of the games that can be considered at the very least decent. The SNES version of Batman Returns was great as a typical side-scrolling brawling game and of course more recently there was last year’s Lego Batman which was good for a laugh or two. However nothing really captured the spirit of the character, let alone his environment and for the games that tried, they failed miserably. But Batman is one of those characters that people are willing to take a chance on. Read More...

Perhaps it's a little to old for some of you younger gamers out there, but Wolfenstein has always had a place in my heart. Wolfenstein 3D revolutionized the FPS genre, and while Wolfenstein doesn't have as much of an impact on the video game industry as Wolfenstein 3D did, it is certainly a fun filled game. The game is a sequel to Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which was released for the PS2, PC, and XBOX in 2001, and stars William “BJ” Blackowitz, who was the protagonist in the previous Wolfenstein games. While Wolfenstein departs from many of the nostalgic elements that RTCW had, it keeps the main tradition of Wolfenstein alive: Supernatural Nazis are trying to take over the world. Read More...

One of the more curious titles of the year has presented a demo for PS3 owners and Xbox owners. For the uninitiated, Wet is an action game that combines shooting and swordplay with all kinds of crazy acrobatics. The main character, Rubi voiced by Elisha Dushku, carries twin pistols and a sword and does all of the fun filled John Woo-esque moves that have become standard fare in most action titles these days. One of the better elements of the gunplay is that she automatically target an additional enemy which allows some ease and versatility with your firefight strategy. She also has the ability to fuse attacks together, and your acrobatics aren't limited to flipping off of a wall, but you can substitute a person instead of the aformentioned wall. Read More...

So the 120gb PS3 Slim is out, how does it compare to the older, fatter, more mature PS3? Well the first thing I noticed was, “Damn, that box is a lot smaller than my old PS3's box”. The next thing I noticed was, “Damn, this is a lot lighter than my old PS3.” The lighter, smaller PS3 is a little wider than the old PS3, but it's slightly wider girth is greatly overshadowed by the smaller height, the lower profile, and the overall sleek, matte black, design. The PS3 sports a new 45nm processor, which, technical differences which I will not get into aside, requires less power. The power cord itself is just a standard unpolarized C8 cord (non-technical term: the same one the PS2, PS1, Dreamcast, SNES, NES, 3DO, etc all use), as opposed to the beefier C13 (aka IEC, nontechnical term: the one that your PC, monitor, and TV use) that the older PS3 uses. Read More...

DataBox Games: Nine guys in their mid-20s on an island off Sweden. They are all attending Gotland University and working on their final thesis for their Bachelor's and Master's Degrees. Why is this important? Because much like the current wave of independent titles that flood the Xbox Marketplace - they are just a bunch of people with a love for games trying to deliver a unique experience. They don't have a major machine behind them, but they have a passion for crafting something that we can all get into and as such are definitely worth promoting around these parts. The game that they are currently working on is Penalty of Heroes, which I believe is their 26th title; most of the previous 25 have been made in ten weeks or less and have more fun crammed into them then a great majority of bigger budget titles. Read More...

You could potentially get your hands on the new Firefight mode from one of the most anticipated titles of the year. Bungie, Microsoft, and Gamestop have joined into an unholy alliance and are presenting a Halo 3: ODST Transport vehicle that will be making stops at GameStops all across the US, giving lucky folks a go with the title. Major Nelson via his blog, dropped the dates for the tour, and hopefully one of them are going to be close to you - if you are interested, that is: Halo 3: ODST Transport Vehicle Stops City Location Date Seattle (Redmond, WA) Redmond Town Center 8/22 Portland (Hillsboro, OR) Tanasbourne Town Center 8/23 San Francisco (Union City, CA) Union Landing 8/25 San Jose (Antioch, CA) Center At Slatten Ranch 8/26 Los Angeles (Pasadena, CA) Hastings Village 8/28 San Diego, CA Carmel Mt. Read More...

EA Sports's Madden NFL 10. The Best Madden Ever In years past (especially between 02 and 08) the annual Madden has been seen as somewhat of a roster update, however, Madden NFL 10 is something I've not experienced before: an ultra good looking, ultra realistic football game. Madden NFL 09 was a step in the right direction, with better graphics and new animations, however Madden 10 is a giant leap in the right direction, such a big leap it may have just landed where it needed to be. In years past, Madden has been hampered by a lack-luster graphics system that was essentially a beefed up PS2 engine. Textures were hi-res and the detail was there, however player models and the overall stadium experience was still fairly sixth generation. Read More...

Rock Band: Country Pack Rock Band is well known for the DLC updates they do every week. Very well known, for it. But one thing that the franchise is not well known for is having a good selection of music that falls in line with the controls and set up. In this case I am talking Country. A genre that isn't normally popular amongst the more hardcore gamers and fans of rhythm games. Well that was up until just recently with the expansion to Rock Band with the Country Pack. I use the word expansion here because this is really what the whole pack is. Read More...

The original Way of the Samurai title was released on the Playstation 2 back in 2002. It was set in 19th Century Japan, where you would take on the role of a ronin who wanders into a remote village and becomes involved in a conflict between rival clans. One of the best features about this game was the branching storylines that offered some very solid replay value while at the same time offering enough in the way of varying weapons and side content to really constitute different gameplay experiences. Although the story in the first game follows one overall framing narrative, the actual events that the you would engage in really depend on the decisions you make. Some decisions, while seeming small, could affect who lived and died at the end of the story. Read More...

Gameloft, never one to rest on its laurels when it comes to the mobile gaming market, has released what might be one of the most ambitious iPhone titles to date.  NFL 2010 takes the thrill and excitement of the NFL license and goes mobile; allowing you to transport your favorite players and teams anywhere. From the site: "Experience real football and play for the Super Bowl against the Cardinals, Steelers and the rest of the NFL on your cell phone. Every 2010 player and over 100 plays make this a complete sports game. Read More...

From id Software’s site: “Immerse yourself in the first person experience that takes your iPhone or iPod Touch beyond previously imagined limits. Introducing DOOM Resurrection, a brand new, technologically advanced, heart-pounding chapter in the legendary DOOM Saga! Scientists on a remote research facility on Mars have lost control of their experiment and all Hell has broken loose. As the last surviving marine, you must defeat the intruders and help the remaining scientists unravel the mystery of what happened and more importantly, figure out how to stop it. You must succeed! Read More...

The Secret of Monkey Island has already come out in 3 editions, the floppy version for the Atari ST, Mac, and PC in 1990, the re-release PC version and Amiga versions in 1991, and the much more widely known CD version in 1992 that featured better audio and a new UI. The most recent fourth version, The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is by far the best. It is available for the PC and 360 and features all new graphics as well as brand new voices recorded by the cast of Curse of Monkey Island (aka Monkey Island 3). The music is also redone and was made by the same composer. Read More...

With today’s entertainment industry, it’s rarely a surprise when a performer jumps ship and moves from one avenue to another. Be it a singer acting in movies or an heiress releasing an album. Okay maybe that second one wasn’t a great example but the point still stands. In the case of rappers, Ice-T, LL Cool J, and Ice Cube are just a few examples of successful musical artists who have transitioned into movie stars and following in their footsteps is Tyrese Gibson. The former model and rapper has gone on to star in a number of major films including 2 Fast 2 Furious, Flight of the Phoenix, Death Race, and Transformers and its sequel Revenge of the Fallen. But now he’s taking an unexpected turn and expanding into the world of comics. Read More...