Get ready to hunt the paranormal with your 3DS
this November

post from Gaming Nexus on 20 October 2011 11:41:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Russell Archey
NEWS - If you have a 3DS and just happen to have aspirations of becoming a Ghostbuster, then your in luck. On November 8th, Majesco will release The Hidden for the Nintendo 3DS. The Hidden is an augmented reality ghost-hunting adventure that let's gamers use their 3DS camera to scan, detect, and hunt down the paranormal. Okay, so it's not a Ghostbusters game, but it still sounds like a cool concept, and for $29.99, that's not that bad of a deal.

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Lots of NVIDIA toys to play with at BlizzCon

post from Destructoid on 20 October 2011 11:05:53 PM. © Destructoid

Lots of NVIDIA toys to play with at BlizzCon screenshot

NVIDIA has shared a little of what's in store for BlizzCon this year. Just about everywhere you look at the convention, you'll find GeForce GTX-equipped PCs powering all the Blizzard games you love such as World of Warcraft and StarCraft II. NVIDIA has provided over 1,000 cards to help power both the NVIDIA booth, the GeForce LAN, and the demo systems that will cover the show floor.

In addition to providing video game demos, NVIDIA also plans on hosting hands-on workshops to teach attendees how to optimize the game settings and rigs to get the best performance out of their machines. Here are a few of the activities on the schedule:

Stop by the NVIDIA LAN area in Hall C to play World of Warcraft and StarCraft II, featuring NVIDIA 3D Vision and Surround technologies.
Learn how to gear up your PC with NVIDIA tech talks featuring Ryan Shrout, editor-in-chief of PC Perspective.
Get the latest and greatest StarCraft II tips along with a Q&A panel from the one and only shout-caster and game expert, Husky.
Step up to the DIY challenge, hosted by NewEgg.com: build and power up a PC in record time for prizes.
Visit the NVIDIA 3D Vision photo booth to take your picture with your favorite Blizzard game characters.

It's times like this when I really wish I lived in California so I could attend BlizzCon! If you're like me and can't go, you can keep up with the happenings via iTunes or the Android Market on your phone or mobile device. If you'd like to see the complete schedule of NVIDIA events at BlizzCon, visit the company's BlizzCon page here.

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Battlefield 3 preloads to start tomorrow and a
bit of expectations setting

post from Gaming Nexus on 20 October 2011 10:27:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Charles Husemann
NEWS - You know what brightens a brutal work day? Opening up your inbox and finding a wonderful message like this one, letting you know that the game you've been waiting the last six months for is almost ready to play.

Before we get too excited about the PC version of Battlefield 3 it's time to set some expectations for next week. The first expectation is that the game is going to be pretty buggy, especially on the multiplayer side. There hasn't been a Battlefield game released yet that doesn't have it's share of glitches and bugs out of the gate. Every fan of the series knows this and also knows it's going to take a month or two to smooth out all the rough edges. Hell, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 didn't really get to the near perfect stage until earlier this year and that's almost a year after release. It will still be pretty damn good but the game will have "character" while they figure out what does and doesn't work.

The second big expectation is that the servers will probably be slammed the first week while EA ramps up the capacity to meet all of the needs of the gamers. We see this with every major multiplayer release and it's Battlefield 3 will probably have issues at launch.

The final expectation is that the single player campaign is probably going to be OK at best. Seriously, buying a Battlefield game for the single player campaign is like going to a Vegas buffet and filling your plate with veggies before getting to the bacon and sausage. I'm already hearing some negative chatter about the single player campaign and while I had some high hopes after tolerable outings in Bad Company and Bad Company 2 it's important to realize why we buy the series.

I'm not trying to rain on any parades, just trying to set some expectations for a game that I'm really looking forward to. I'm hoping I'm wrong on all of these expectations but DICE is pretty consistent in these areas.

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EA Shows off three maps from SSX:Deadly Decents

post from Gaming Nexus on 20 October 2011 10:21:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Charles Husemann
NEWS - EA has released the first video in it's new series of developer diaries for SSX:Deadly Decents. The new series focuses on the different terrains they have in the game and in this one they show off some of the areas from the Alaska, Himalaya, and Siberia maps.

I'm not normally an SSX guy but the game is really shaping out well. I like the contrasting styles in the maps and the different ways they are combining real world data with gameplay elements. If you want more info on the game check out Cyril's impressions from PAX earlier this year.

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The Hidden: Use your 3DS to bust ghosts

post from Destructoid on 20 October 2011 10:05:46 PM. © Destructoid

The Hidden: Use your 3DS to bust ghosts screenshot

There have been some forays into the realm of augmented reality gaming recently as technology has gotten more advanced. The Hidden is the latest attempt at AR integration and uses the 3DS' cameras to hunt down and exterminate ghosts. In order to track down all the ghosts and unlock all the levels, players will be required to travel around town, so no chilling out on your couch scanning the living room day after day.

My initial reaction to this game, before I saw the trailer, was excitement. The idea of a horror game that uses AR is fantastic. Then I saw the trailer and while it doesn't look like the worst 3DS title, I was hoping for something that might actually give me a fright. Like Fatal Frame.

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Commandos, SOTS & GTA collections are dirt cheap
on Steam

post from Destructoid on 20 October 2011 10:05:46 PM. © Destructoid

Commandos, SOTS & GTA collections are dirt cheap on Steam screenshot

I played Vice City, San Andreas and Grand Theft Auto IV on the console from the comfort of my couch, and never saw the point of buying them again when the PC versions were released later on. Steam sales came and went, but I could always resist. But for $12.49/€9.99, I'll just bite to have the Grand Theft Auto collection at the ready. That's GTAs one to four, Vice City, San Andreas and Episodes of Liberty City for dirt cheap and ready to mod, valid until 10 a.m. PDT next Monday.

A shorter-term deal is the Steam Commandos Collection, which includes Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines, the expansion Beyond the Battlefield Call of Duty, Commandos 2: Men of Courage, and Commandos 3: Destination Berlin. Valid until 10 a.m. PDT tomorrow, that pack will cost you $7.49/€6.99 for a lot of "AMERIKANER!", "ALARM ALARM!" and "EIN VERLETZEN!"

Finally there's the Sword of the Stars Collection, collecting the main game and a bunch of expansions for $5/€5 until October 28. I could never get into SOTS (or Sins of a Solar Empire for that matter) so I'll just wait patiently for Galactic Civilizations III, which will be an infinitely better and completely unrelated game.

[Thanks, guy from IRC!]

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Max Payne 3 gets four new gritty screenshots

post from Gaming Nexus on 20 October 2011 10:00:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Charles Husemann
NEWS - While we are still neck deep in one of the heaviest gaming seasons in recent memory it's important to remember that 2012 has some great games as well. Games like Max Payne 3 which is looking pretty fine if you go by the latest batch of screenshots that found their way into my inbox.

I'm digging the idea of an older protagonist and it will be interested to see how the age of the character impacts the gameplay at all. Will Max move slower? Will Max take longer to heal? Will he have to see a doctor if certain things last more than four hours? We'll find out next March but until then enjoy these four new screenshots.

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Modern Warfare 3 shows off its packages...strike
packages

post from Gaming Nexus on 20 October 2011 09:54:00 PM. © Gaming Nexus

by: Charles Husemann
NEWS - With the release of the game less than a month away the folks at Infinity Ward have released this video overview of the new strike packages in Modern Warfare 3. I have to say I dig the improvements as it will allow those who are let's say, less gifted in the skill department ramp up for packages without having to be an uber guy on the battlefield. Those with more of a team focus now have support packages tailored for them like UAV jamming and improved UAV drones. Looks like some decent stuff here.
Click here to view the rest of the content.

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Modern Warfare 3 shows off it's packages...strike
packages

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Review: Mahjong Cub3d

Review: Mahjong Cub3d screenshot

Wait! Where are you going?

Portable mahjong games aren't going to hold up to all the high profile fall and holiday releases that are coming out, especially with this year's huge line-up. But what if I told you that this particular mahjong game was in 3D, and that it turned the classic time waster on its head with 3D controls? Still no? Fair enough. Hey, I think it's cool. It may not be your Call of the Battlefield: Revelations, but it's a good time for your 3DS, especially for puzzle game fans.

Mahjong Cub3d (Nintendo 3DS)
Developer: Sunsoft
Publisher: Atlus
Released: October 11, 2011
MSRP: $29.99

Classic mahjong has you matching tiles to remove them from a pile, two by two, with the goal of taking them all down without breaking the age old rules of removal. You've played this before on a phone or on an old Windows PC, I'm sure. In Mahjong Cub3d, you're still matching tiles to remove them from the game board, except this time it's not really a board, but more of a floating shape in 3D space. Yes, it sounds strange, but stick with me here.

Floating mahjong in 3D sounds like something that wouldn't work, but it really does. It works well enough that my first play session, which I only intended to be a quick introduction, lasted about 2 hours. I ended up taking my 3DS to bed and played until I got sleepy.

The game slowly eases you into its 3D Cube Mode with some simple puzzles. You'll match tiles, which are now actually little cubes, on or in some basic shapes, like larger cubes and other geometric designs. Like in classic mahjong, you'll pick from any of the available 'free' tiles to match them to other ones. In this mode you're working against a countdown timer, but the basic shapes of the mode's alpha stages are pretty easy. They're easy enough that they'll let you get used to rotating and manipulating the shapes. You'll turn these shapes in any direction by holding down either the L or R button and pushing a direction on the circle pad, while the d-pad lets you zoom in and out. Tile selection is done with the circle pad and it works surprisingly well. I assumed that trying to select a little tile among a bunch of others in 3D would be troublesome, but somehow they made it work.

When you get good at the alpha level of puzzles, beta steps it up a bit, and then it gets nuts with complexity from there. Worry not, as the game slowly eases you into it by gradually increasing the difficulty with each puzzle. As you complete puzzles you'll unlock additional ones. I've been playing Mahjong Cub3d almost non-stop since I received a review copy, but it feels like I'm nowhere near seeing all of the available puzzles.

In classic mahjong, if a tile is buried under another, you cannot remove it. This rule is still in play in Mahjong Cub3d's Cube Mode, but being able to freely rotate the game's board in any direction forces you to think a bit harder about what tiles to remove. You'll also have to rotate the game board to see its undersides, sometimes even down inside a shape, to see the tile types. You'll have to keep your eyes open and stay alert so that you can match tiles from all angles. The 3D doesn't make for a hard game, mind you. It just increases the challenge so that it never becomes mindless. They literally took this time-wasting standard to the next dimension.

There is a classic, non-3D mahjong mode included, but it's not very good. The main problem lies with the tile selection method, which is done with the analog pad. I was driven to near insanity in less than five minutes trying to select the little tiles in this mode, and the zoom in/out controls do not help at all. Worse, the angle that the board is presented at is tilted back just enough to be fully frustrating; good luck trying to see some of the lower level back tiles behind a large pile. The final kick in the eye is the too-large countdown timer, which moves so fast that it makes you nervous and unable to concentrate. I truly hope that gamers try the perfectly fine 3D mode before trying this standard version, as it seems tacked on and rough.

My only other gripe is on the music. It's bad. Like, volume switch to minimum at all times bad. Distracting and regular bleeps and cymbal crashes are not a great idea for a game that requires concentration.

I can't give you much more here: Mahjong Cub3d is simply mahjong in fully rotatable 3D. I can tell you that it's easy to get into and control, and that it seems to have this gravitational pull on me as a puzzle game fan. I've always liked mahjong, and this 3D twist on the classic formula makes it even more enjoyable and challenging.