Why PSN Pass Isn’t Necessarily a Bad Thing
Recently, IGN received confirmation from Sony that they would be “instituting a network pass program for PS3 games with online capabilities”; one game of note was the upcoming Resistance 3 which prominently featured a PSN Pass label. Of course, the gamer community and even Wedebush Morgan Analyst, Michael Pachter himself threw in their two cents regarding this move by Sony.
The PSN Pass is similar to the one time codes that you receive when you purchase a new game and wish to use all of the online features. Electronic Arts and THQ were the pioneers in implementing this, and other game companies such as Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment have been using this feature increasingly. The primary purpose of which is to ensure that the games companies recoup profits that they have long held as lost due to the used videogames market that companies like GameStop so thrive on. Read On »
Ms. Splosion Man Coming to Pinball FX2 on Xbox Live
While we don’t normally cover press releases, this one most certainly grabbed our attention. Being big fans of ZEN Studios Pinball FX2 and Twisted Pixel’s Splosion Man/Ms. Splosion Man franchises, just about everyone here at Wanderson75.net melted when this news came out.
ZEN Studios and Twisted Pixel have partnered up to make ‘sploding even better with a Ms. Splosion Man themed pinball table! According to Mel Kirk, VP of Marketing and Public Relations at ZEN Studios, “We told the Twisted Pixel crew we were going to break in and steal all the Ms. Splosion Man stuff so we could make a pinball table for them. We put our super stealth ZEN sniper on the project and what can I say, mission accomplished.” However, Twisted Pixel retaliated by boosting some of PFX2’s assets for their own pinball machine in the arcade area of Ms. Splosion Man. Read On »
A closer look at the Resistance 3 Demo
1957. Six years after the Chimera overran Europe, the United States has fallen to their overwhelming forces. You are ex-Sentinel Joseph Capelli. On the run with his wife and son, he finds himself being recruited by one Dr. Malikov on a mission to send the Chimera back on their heels. But after so many setbacks and losses, is it truly possible that Malikov has the solution to humanity’s planet-wide infestation?
These questions and more are asked in Resistance 3, Sony and Naughty Dog’s latest entry into their keystone first-person franchise, available with your purchase of Battle Los Angeles on BluRay. Read On »
Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012: Summon your credit card.
In hindsight, I did him a favor.
I love Magic: The Gathering. The very concept of summoning minions to wreak havoc upon mine enemies while flailing indiscriminately with arcane destruction has resonated so strongly with me to reflect in my character choice in near every MMO I’ve played. I clearly recall trips to the hobby shop in Utica to stock up on booster packs and say goodbye to my hard earned allowance. Hot summer days spent sheltered in basements and garages, hoping that the cards fall just right so I can snag that rare my opponent was unlucky enough to wager. Good memories, one and all…except that one time I thought Dave was going to attack me after I won the Phantasmal Forces that he had just acquired…but mostly good overall.
So when Duels of the Planeswalkers dropped on XBL I took just short of a New York minute to buy that sucker and get back in it. For a brief while I was flying high on nostalgia and the thrill of battle. Being a sucker for straight-color decks Read On »
What We’re Playing – Week Ending July 9th
Will Anderson (wanderson75)
Resistance 3 Demo/Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune
Erik Miller (rickster8bit)
Lego Harry Potter/Half Minute Hero
Mikeal-Paul Williams (rikiaza)
inFAMOUS 2 / Portal 2
Victoria Liu-Anderson (vickitty)
Pinball FX2: Captain America
Webkinz
Put the Snake Back in the Box…
Dear Kojima Hideo-san, please make a third Zone of the Enders game. It is nearing the ten year mark and we have rumors, and naught else. Jehuty was so awesome I forgave you for Leo Stenbuck, the most irritating protagonist this side of EVERYONE in Shining Force Neo and roughly half the cast of Evangelion …And speaking of heavy-handed philosophy in a format unsuited for it using characters who only manage to make those watching… Read On »
What We’re Playing – Week of July 2nd
Will Anderson
F.E.A.R. 3 for PlayStation 3
Child of Eden for Xbox 360 Kinect
Victoria Liu-Anderson
Alice: Madness Returns for Xbox 360
Mikeal-Paul Williams
inFamous 2 for PlayStation 3
Dominic Marzolino
Duels of the Planeswalkers 2012 (XBLA)
Change your passwords…again…
An early-morning email blast from BioWare Edmonton notified folks the legacy servers supporting the Neverwinter Nights forums were, you guessed it, hacked. Roll call of the vulnerable info includes (per the email):
“user names, encrypted passwords, email addresses, mailing addresses, names, phone numbers, CD keys and birth dates from these forum accounts on the system may have been compromised, as well as other information (if any) that you may have associated with your EA Account.”
Anyone else a touch worried about that last line?
Livio Radio to Host Second Annual Social Media Day in the Motor City
Our friends at Livio Radio are firing up the second annual Social Media Day in Downtown Detroit. It’ll take place Thursday, June 30th at Motor City Casino and feature guest DJs, a tweeting Ford Fiesta loaded with Livio Radio’s new car internet app, and more!
The party runs from 7PM till 10PM at the Soundboard. And for those night-owls out there, you’ll be treated to an after party at Amnesia, Detroit’s best night club, period. Located at the top of Motor City Casino you’ll be treated to the best view the Motor City has to offer.
So if you’re in town, or in driving distance of town, grab your laptops, iPhones, Androids, cameras and what have you, and join us in the biggest Tweetup around. Click here to secure your tickets now.
Happy Birthday Sonic the Hedgehog!
Today, we celebrate one of the most iconic video game characters in the history of the industry. Nemesis to Nintendo’s Mario, this character launched the first console that would rival the Atari crushing juggernaut. 15 million copies of his first game were sold to catapult SEGA’s console market share to a staggering 65% when it was bundled with the Genesis, outselling the Super Nintendo by a staggering 2 to 1.
Sonic the Hedgehog would go on to spawn dozens of sequels and spin-offs to sell over 80 million units worldwide. Ten years after his creation he would arrive on his first foreign console, Nintendo’s GameCube having outlived SEGA’s ill-fated hardware line. Ever since, Sonic the Hedgehog has appeared on every major console since 2001, and today he turns 20 years old.
Here are some of Sonic the Hedgehog’s milestones over the years:
June 23, 1991 – Sonic the Hedgehog is released for the Sega Genesis (known in Japan as the Mega Drive)
November 21, 1992 – Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is released for the Sega Genesis in Japan. Introduces Tails as a playable character. Features cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes.
June 1993 – The Sonic the Hedgehog comic series’ first issue is released by Archie Comics. It is currently at issue #225.
September 6, 1993 – The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog animated series is launched on ABC. Jaleel White (Urkel) voices Sonic. The show runs for one season (65 episodes).
November 1993 – Becomes the first video game character to have a balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
June 19, 2001 – Sonic Adventure 2 releases in Japan. Introduces Shadow the Hedgehog to the franchise.
December 10, 2001 – Sonic Adventure 2 releases for the GameCube.
November 2007 – Appeared on the same video game cover as Mario for the first time (Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games)
January 31, 2008 – First appearance on Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
To celebrate, SEGA is releasing Sonic Generations on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Nintendo 3DS on November 22, 2011. Generations will feature a collection of levels derived from some of the classic favorites across games of the past. Sonic will be playable in both his modern look, as well as his 90’s counterpart as a mysterious enemy has created time holes which pull Sonic and friends back into the past. Help both Sonics as they work together to find out who the evil mastermind is and save their friends.
So while we’re all waiting for his new adventure, let’s all bake a cake and wish a very happy birthday to Sonic. Here’s to another 20 years!
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