New Batman Movie Officially Dated

What everybody suspected has now been confirmed! Warner Bro's has officially announced a sequel to The Dark Knight!!! According to this website the sequel will be set to release on July 20, 2012. The website is linked from the Windows Live Messengers homepage so I have no doubt that it's a legit announcement.

My Most Anticipated Games of 2010

In the last few years of gaming I have had the privilege to play a lot of really good games. Most of which were triple A titles with high production values. I always remembered reading the 50 most anticipated games of the year on IGN and in my new year issue of Game Informer and wishing I could afford them all. Nothing is different now since I am a poor college student and I still can't afford many games. But I can keep dreaming about the next great adventure to take the gaming community by storm right?

Well here's what I decided... I know we're already a third of the way into our new year but it's not going to keep me from listing my top 5 most anticipated games of 2010. So I'll start things off right with my number 1 title on my list for the year.

1. Alan Wake - Platform: Xbox 360 - Releases May 18, 2010 - Alan Wake is one of those games that I am just so curious to play because it is so damn intriguing. The game is being developed by Max Payne developers Remedy and being Published by Microsoft and has been in development since the Xbox 360 originally came out. Everything from the story plot to the enemies, to the weapons used to kill the enemies was under wraps for so long that I wouldn't be surprised if most people forgot about the game. Until recently when gameplay and story videos were released I actually didn't even know what the game was about. After seeing actual gameplay footage of the game I am a believer and I can assure you that this game will be one hell of a thrill ride. This is a day one purchase for me.

2. God of War III - Platform: Playstation 3 - Released on March 16, 2010 - Ever since the first God of War game was released I knew that this franchise would be one of Sony's big guns. It was amazing in every aspect and the third one looks to up the ante and finish the trilogy with a bang. A bigger and badder everything makes this game a must have of the year. If there is one game that will sell Playstation 3's like hot cakes this year it would have to be God of War 3, hell I'm even considering picking up a PS3 for this game.

3. Final Fantasy XIII - Platform: Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 - Released on March 9, 2010- Yes I know I'm a little late on some of my games but I don't care my list is my top ten of 2010 after all. Final Fantasy for me is not what it is to everyone else. I never really played any of the previous installments for more than a couple hours. And not because they weren't good games, because they were! But because they were never very accessible to me. Me! A guy who could play any game out there and find some level of enjoyment could not get immersed in one of the most beloved game series of all time. But with 2010 comes a new era in Final Fantasy history and with it comes my enthusiasm for Final Fantasy XIII. Now I am only six hours into the game but it's like reading a really good book. The focus is so heavily on the story this time around that I am really starting to get into the game and really wish that i didn't have to put it down. If you are looking for one of the best stories around then look no further than this game. You can maybe marvel at some of the best graphics on the Xbox while you're at it.

4. Red Dead Redemption - Platform: Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 - Releases on May 18, 2010- Huge open world environments, check! Best open world game graphics to date, check! Compelling story about sin, betrayal, and vengence, check! Vast multiplayer variety and coolest game lobby ever, check! Now doesn't that sound like the makings of a very good game? Take all those ideas and give Rockstar Games the key to it all and your looking at one of the potential best games of the year. I can't wait for this one to come out because I have been hoping for the definative Old West experience and Rockstar looks to deliver with this game. It's going to be the new standard in which people will look when a new Western themed game comes out. If you don't believe me then just wait for the reviews to start flooding the net here in less than a month.

5. Halo Reach - Platform: Xbox 360 - Releases in Q3 2010 - Okay so this one's a given....if you own an xbox then this will be the game to have this year. Now because I didn't like Halo 3 as much as the other games I have to put this one at number 5 on my list. I think it will probably be the best game in the series but I'm reserving my judgement on this one to really see how different it is than the previous games in the series. I strongly believe they will deliver on the story, the graphics, and for the most part the gameplay. The thing that i'm worried about is how new and fresh the multiplayer will actually be. Despite my fears I still think this will be one of the best, if not the best game on the Xbox this year. And for this reason I can't wait to see what Bungie has in store for Halo's fans.

Official Beat Hazard Steam Announcement

Today I recieved an official announcement for Beat Hazard by indie developer Cold Beam Games on PC. The email states that the game will be available via Steam tomorrow, April 15th. The email also stated that the game will be available for a bargain price of $7.49 for the first week....that's 25% off the normal price of $9.99! It went on to include this list of old and new features (New features are in bold):

* Can you last a whole album in Survival Mode?

* 25 Steam achievements

* Compete against friends on Steam leader boards

* Real time updates via the in game News System

* Take on the all new super boss ship

* Unique music driven gameplay

* Gameplay possibilities as vast as your music collection

* Power up and unleash the deadly Beat Hazard weapon

* Rank up to an Elite rated pilot

* Includes a kicking rock album to get you started

 

 

If that's not enough to wet your appetites, the designer of the game also included a bunch of screenshots and a PC gameplay video ( shown below). Cheers to Steve!!!

Beat Hazard PC Trialer

Official Gears of War 3 Announcement Trailer

Gears of War 3 Leaked!!

According to IGN.com Microsoft recently put an announcement for Gears of War 3 on Xbox Live yesterday only to be removed so nobody could see it before it is announced by it's creators. An official announcement should be on its way by creator Cliff Bleszinski on The Jimmy Fallon Show Monday night.

New Demos on Xbox Live Arcade!

Just a few days ago Microsoft put plenty of demos on Xbox Live Arcade to keep everyone busy until the highly anticipated release of Splinter Cell Conviction on Tuesday. In previous weeks they have released demos for Just Cause 2, Splinter Cell Conviction and MotoGP 09/10. Now as of last week there are a few new games to mess around with. The first demo released last week was Blur the new racing game from Bizarre Games; creators of Project Gotham Racing. Second was Supreme Commander 2 and third was Fifa World Cup South Africa 2010. It seems like Microsoft's plan to keep people playing is to release a little bit of something for everyone.

New Something Corporate CD Announced!!!

Recently on jacksmannequin.com Andrew McMahon ( Lead Singer to band's Something Corporate and Jack's Mannequin) announced in his blog that he was working with his past band Something Corporate to release a greatest hits CD. According to both bestbuy.com and amazon.com Andrew speaks no lie. The new CD will be called Played in Space: The Best of Something Corporate and will include plenty of previously unrealeased classics that could only be found on expensive import cd's. The new release will include 19 songs and accross two disks, the list of songs includes: Space, I Woke Up In a Car, She Paints Me Blue, Hurricane, Me and the Moon, Fall, Ruthless, I Want To Save You, Cavanaugh Park, If You C Jordan, Down, Punk Rock Princess, Walking By, and The Astronaut on disk 1 and Konstantine [Previously Unreleased], Watch the Sky [Previously Unreleased], Forget December [New Exclusive Mix] Woke Up In a Car [Adam Young Mix], and Wait on disc 2. Look foward to the new CD and my review on April 27th!!!!

Cold Beam Announces Beat Hazard for PC

According to Cold Beam Games' website they will be adding a new addition to their line-up of games. On March 18th they announced that they will be making a PC version of Beat Hazard available on Steam sometime in April. The new PC version will have updated features including a new super boss, a survival mode that lets you play whole albums, a new in game rock album, 25 Steam achievements, and access to Steam's leaderboards. Look forward to my review as soon as the game is released in April.

Beat Hazard Review

The New Space Shooter on the Block
Imagine flying around space shooting everything you see.... then imagine flying around space shooting everything you see to your own music. Sounds familiar right? In fact Geometry Wars for XboxLiveArcade did it almost 3 years ago. So what makes Beat Hazard on XBL Indie Games worth my 400 marketplace points you ask.... Well let me tell you that it would be well worth your money to give it a try. Firstly it sounds exactly the same as Geometry Wars, but in fact it is a completely different beast. Remember earlier when I said you play to your own music? Well that's the twist..... it not only lets you play your music, it also reacts to every beat, lyric, and chord. Everything from the background , the enemies, your guns, and even how many bosses you fight depends how fast, long, and loud your songs are. The possibilities are endless as long as you have more music to put on your hardrive!
Presentation
As you start the game there are a number of things that will catch your eye about this game. First is that the game instantly loads any music you've downloaded to your hardrive which requires no work on your part. Second thing your notice is that there is a music visualizer in the background going to a randomly selected song of your own. Lastly you'll notice all the different options in the menu you have a full screen visualizer, a how to play button, single player game, co-op game,  your stats and ranks, challenges, and the options menu. The first four items should be self explanatory, but the next two really add to the overall presentation and replay of the game.  The your stats and ranks menu includes various items which tell you your total time played, total points earned over all songs, total number of tracks cleared, total number of albums cleared, and then 27 different pilot ranks that you unlock as you hit certain points milestone totals. Then there's the challenge menu which offers 12 different challenges not much different then Xbox 360 achievements that add even more replay and difficulty into the mix.
Gameplay
Now on to the gameplay... Okay it wouldn't really be all that difficult to just say if you liked Geometry Wars then you should just buy the game because the game controls exactly the same. Which isn't such a bad thing. You have both your thumbsticks: Left for controlling your ship and right for aiming/shooting your gun. You also have bombs which you can blow off with your  right trigger. It's very simple to the learn but very difficult to master. Even though it's a very basic setup it is the only way i would prefer for the game to control and it's makes for some very addictive and fun action.

Graphics
The last part of the game is the graphics. Simply put they are AMAZING!! Colors upon colors mix and mesh to make the prettiest top down space shooter ever! With every sound your music makes it sends waves of color changes throughout the screen. The enemies and asteroids fly onto screen hypnotized by the beats and your guns pulse to the music. When your song is fast your gun is fast and vibrant, when the  song gets slow your gun dies down to a single shooter. Each song has it's own unique vibe, enemy flight patterns, and color pallets so each song is different to play.

I'm only going to say this once more... GO OUT AND BUY BEAT HAZARD!!! It is an AMAZING game at an amazing value. How many other games out there are going to limit what you get for gameplay by the number of songs in your music library.... not even rock band can play your already existing music. If you are a fan of Geometry Wars or even just music then go out and buy this game. You'll get tons of replay on Beat Hazard and on your own music. Download the game here!!

9.7 out of  10

Fun. = AMAZING ( Was so worth the wait!!!)

This is the idea behind it all. I'm going to type what I feel, not that it's all that important. Although I do believe I can better myself by blogging from day to day and hell, maybe i'll thank myself somewhere down the line for keeping up. Anyway here is my first official topic.... FUN.!! You're probably saying what the hell are you talking about, well wonder no longer. Fun. is one of my new favorite bands. I first saw them in concert last year on November 6th at the Sokol Underground in Omaha. It was only their second concert ever and they were playing with my favorite band Jack's Mannequin ( if you didn't know they are amazing). They were different until I heard some familiar songs that I couldn't quite place...... As soon I got home I looked them up and couldn't find anything on the band. Stumped I looked up some of the familiar lyrics I noted in my phone only to find that they were by a band called The Format and that the singer was the same. It started a great love between me and The Format but sadly there were songs that Fun. had played that The Format had not. I was saddened to think that the band was just reunited for a 'just for fun concert' and that was the reason they called themselves Fun.. Alas here I blogging and listening to Fun. They finally have a cd known as Aim And Ignite and it is AMAZING!!! If you've ever heard one of those cds that just so fun and upbeat then you know it's hard to put down. It's just such a happy cd full of thoughtful lyrics, amazing instrumentals and a one of the kind singer. I would recommend it to anybody download any one song from this cd and I guarantee you'll be hooked you'll have to have the whole thing. My favorites songs are Be Calm, All the Pretty Girls, As Least I'm Not as Sad, Light a Roman Candle With Me, Walking the Dog and The Gambler. Pick it up and you won't put it down, you'll put it in your ipod and play it on repeat for weeks on end.