GEN
New 2K Games Shooter Announced to Debut at VGAs...and Outed Soon After
by Eric Jones | 11/21/09 | 11:11 AM PST

The latest world premiere to be a part of the 2009 Spike Video Game Awards has been announced, and it's a new mystery game that we haven't seen before...or have we?


VGA 2009 Mystery World Premiere #1

The trailer reveals a new military-based shooter from 2K Games, set in a bombed-out Dubai, and supposedly set to appear for the first time at the VGAs. However, if you'd like to be spoiled, you can hit the jump.

Wii
Super Mario Kart, Pilotwings, Smash Bros. Coming to Virtual Console
by Zach Carmichael | 11/21/09 | 5:57 AM PST


Kotaku is reporting that three of the most desired games for the Wii's Virtual Console are about to make an appearance. This Monday, expect to see Super Mario Kart (SNES) on the service for 800 points. The other two titles, Super Smash Bros. and Pilotwings, will be released on the Virtual Console "sometime this holiday season." Don't take my word for it, but I wouldn't be surprised if the former of the two came out on the Monday before Christmas.

Is this beginning of a slew of most-requested games to be released on the Virtual Console? Many fans, including myself, feel that Earthbound is long overdue for an appearance. Maybe Nintendo is finally starting to pay attention to its fans.

Wii
Mass: We Pray a Dante's Inferno Marketing Stunt
by Christopher Burke | 11/20/09 | 8:22 PM PST

Last week's satirical advertisement for Mass: We Pray, which featured cross-shaped motion controllers and gameplay modes like 'baptism' and 'ring the tower bell', has turned out to be another bit of sneaky marketing for EA's upcoming Dante's Inferno.

All of the game's marketing efforts have tied into the seven deadly sins. Back at E3, EA held a contest asking attendees to take pictures with booth-babes, which tied in with 'Lust'. EA also sent out checks to media outlets as a tie-in with 'Greed'. Apparently the Mass: We Pray advertisement ties in with 'Heresy'.

Seeing these marketing stunts fall flat, I wonder if the controversy EA is trying to raise is doing the game any good.

Wii
Week-Ending Game Endings - 11.20.09 - Resident Evil 2
by David Oxford | 11/20/09 | 4:54 PM PST

I hope this doesn't count as spoilers.

This week, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles came out for the Wii, and I figured a good way of marking the occasion would be to post the ending of one of the games from which it draws, Resident Evil 2.

But, it occurs to me that some peoples' first experience with the story of the game might be through Darkside. So if you're such a person and don't want the RE2 sequence spoiled, then I wouldn't watch these.

On the other hand, if you know it or just don't care, go right ahead. In the case of the former, it might even be fun to compare. First up, we join Claire Redfield...



More after the cut.

Wii
My Games This Weekend - 11.20.09 - New Super Mario Bros. Wii and WWE
by David Oxford | 11/20/09 | 4:38 PM PST

This weekend, it's more New Super Mario Bros. Wii. The wife and I have already stepped into the dark land of World 8, and will soon make Bowser eat his own shell. So far, the game really hasn't been all that difficult, even with two of us getting in the way of one-another. Nonetheless, it's been quite a fun ride, and I can't wait to go back and start exploring for secrets, Star Coins, and such.

I'm also aiming to get WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 for the Wii underway, so keep an eye out for that review soon. In the meantime, I've got the DS version in progress, so hopefully that will show up sometime early next week.

In addition, WWE Survivor Series is this Sunday, and I'll likely have Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, aka "the best game in the series" with me. Funny that in one game, I have to ensure Bowser's survival, while in the other, he's soon going to wish he was never born. Such is life.

So, those are my games this weekend, what are yours?

Wii
November Marks the Launch Anniversary of Many a Gaming Platform
by Kombo Staff | 11/20/09 | 4:08 PM PST

A lot of console and handheld anniversaries are being observed this year, such as the SEGA Genesis, the Dreamcast, and the Game Boy. But November seems to be the month to remember, as many a memorable platform celebrate can celebrate its launch going into the Winter holidays.

First and foremost, one cannot overlook the platforms of this very generation. Earlier this week, November 17th marked the third anniversary of the PlayStation 3's North American launch, while the Wii celebrated its own third just yesterday, November 19th. And at the start of next week, November 22nd, the Xbox 360 will also be able to celebrate, except this will be its fourth.

Wii
Media: Rabbids Go Home Music Video, Songs on iTunes
by David Oxford | 11/20/09 | 3:53 PM PST

Ubisoft has announced that for those who enjoy the soundtrack to the recently-released comedy-adventure Rabbids Go Home, the tracks can now be purchased and downloaded from iTunes.

To give you a sampling of what you're in for, they have produced the following music video:



Personally, I think more publishers interested in selling the music from their games should consider such an approach.

Wii
FFXIII Gets "T" Rating Long After Nintendo Tried Marketing Original to Adults
by Kombo Staff | 11/20/09 | 3:08 PM PST

Following the announcement of a release date, The Examiner reports that Final Fantasy XIII now has a rating by the ESRB. And that rating is... T for Teen. Like you thought it would be anything else.

The reason for the rating is Violence (natch), Mild Language (yippee), and Suggestive Themes-- hello. Examiner says that "While the rating shouldn't be a shock to anyone, the use of suggestive themes could be. With the game appearing to have a heavy atmosphere of love and caring, two women who link together to form a car, are surely some other sexual like surprises, the suggestive themes are likely to be minor sequences."

On a related note, did you know that Nintendo once tried to market the original NES Final Fantasy toward adults?

Wii
Nintendo Goes Nationwide with Holiday Mall Experience
by David Oxford | 11/20/09 | 2:47 PM PST

There are no doubt numerous games you would like to try out this holiday season. Of course, games aren't cheap, and in this economy, you can't just spend indiscriminately on unproven goods. Rentals are an option, but their prices these days are closer to a down-payment. And then there's piracy, but really, shame on you for even considering it.

What to do, then? Well, Nintendo is providing its own answer in the form of the Nintendo Holiday Mall Experience, which can be found starting November 23rd in 35 malls across America. There, you'll get the chance to go hands-on with hits such as Wii Sports Resort and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, or see first-hand what this whole "Wii Fit Plus" thing is really all about. Other titles on hand will be Style Savvy, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, and-- once it's launched on December 7th-- The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.

Check out the full press release after the cut for further details, plus the most important part-- where to go to find it.

Wii
REVIEW: Play Any Other Fishing Game but Shimano Xtreme Fishing
by Ryan Olsen | 11/20/09 | 2:13 PM PST

What the Game's About
Shimano Xtreme Fishing brings the sport of fishing right to your living room. You can either be an angler the old fashion way or get more extreme by bow fishing or spear fishing. By requiring using the Wii-mote to simulate fishing movements, Shimano Xtreme Fishing feels more like an arcade fishing game than any simulation.

What's Hot
It safe to assume a lot of hopes weren't pinned on this game turning the gaming masses into fish fanatics. For a game about fishing, Shimano is as over the top as they come. There are tons of fish in the water and you can't go without getting something every cast. When you bow or spear fish, the game starts to go off into FPFS (first-person fish shooter) where you attempt to clear the lake of fish like they were radioactive or something. It's a certified guilty pleasure, but that doesn't save the game from the depths it sinks.

Wii
Aonuma Says Traditional Flow of Zelda Will Change in Next Wii Game
by David Oxford | 11/20/09 | 1:13 PM PST

Yesterday, we learned from franchise director Eiji Aonuma that "some of the internet speculation is right" surrounding the new Legend of Zelda game for Wii. But other than that, he said that further discussion and details surrounding the title would have to wait for the next Electronic Entertainment Expo.

But for IGN, it seems that E3 2010 has come early, for they managed to conduct an interview with Aonuma which reveals a little bit more about the title.

Wii
REVIEW: The Insanity is Back in Rabbids Go Home
by Ryan Olsen | 11/20/09 | 12:48 PM PST

What the Game's About
Rabbids Go Home is the very first time the mischievous, villainous little bunny type creatures star in their very first game without Rayman. The Rabbids want to make a journey back home and they think that home is on the Moon. To get to the moon, the Rabbids devise a plan to collect junk, pile it on top of each other and set foot on the Moon. Since this article is going on the internet, I'll put it in internet terms: 1. Rabbids want to get home, 2. Collect stuff to pile up, 3. ???????, 4. PROFIT!!!!

Those "?'s" are what the gameplay is all about. You play as two Rabbids who run around the world putting things in a shopping cart to bring to the rest of the Rabbids. That might sound like Katamari Damacy type game, but Rabbids Go Home is more of an adventure game with platforming elements that thrives on the frenzied, chaotic and scatter-brained Rabbids personalities.

Wii
GameStop's Black Friday Video Game Deals Revealed
by Kombo Staff | 11/20/09 | 12:33 PM PST

The dreaded date of Black Friday on November 27th, 2009 draws ever closer. And while Kmart's gamer deals did little to excite, perhaps GameStop's offerings will do a little more for you.

So if you decide to venture forth out into the November cold at 6am for the named-in-poor-taste "Doorbuster" deals that run until 11am, or just any of the other deals which run all week, here is what you can expect.

GEN
"We Interrupt This Deathmatch to Bring You the Following Announcement..."
by David Oxford | 11/20/09 | 11:13 AM PST

Some of you might be familiar with the Emergency Broadcast System or its successor, the Emergency Alert System, which tend to interrupt television shows and commercials with their shrill sound tests. And on occasion, they even warn you of imminent danger, too.

That is, unless most of the time your television spends on is used playing video games, in which case you'll be halfway to Oz before you know what's going on. That's why state officials in New York are planning to send the alerts issued by the Emergency Management Office over video game networks.

GEN
Rebuttal: Is Infinty Ward Anti-PC?
by Matt Pearce | 11/20/09 | 6:16 AM PST

A few days ago we published an article under the title "Modern Warfare 2: The Battleground for PC Gaming?" in which one of Kombo's Editorialists, Eric Frederiksen, discussed the hardcore PC gamer's opinions regarding Infinity Ward's move to do away with dedicated servers for their latest release. Like Eric, I'm a huge PC gamer. I've been playing PC games since DOS, and I don't plan on quitting. I fondly remember Quake LAN parties and dialing-up friends for Warcraft 2 matches. I'm also sad to see that games are straying from dedicated servers. In fact, the only statement of Eric's that I directly disagree with is that Infinity Ward's decision to use matchmaking in Modern Warfare 2 is "...one of the loudest shots fired from the bow of a major publisher against PC gaming." Infinity Ward isn't anti-PC, they're anti-piracy. If they were anti-PC they wouldn't have spent the time and resources to port the game to the PC. I know piracy played such a huge role in the decision, because shortly after the first Modern Warfare was released, Kotaku dug up a blog post of Robert Bowling's (creative director of Infinity Ward and a major proponent of the new matchmaking system) in which he mentions a disturbingly large number of people playing pirated versions of the game on the online multiplayer. Mr. Bowling titled this blog post "They Wonder Why People Don't Make PC Games Any More". With that said, it can't be denied that Infinity Ward did, in fact, anger a lot of their hardcore PC fans with the decision to use matchmaking in Modern Warfare 2.