Upcoming Rock Band DLC

Up on the Rock Band forums, Harmonix has announced the DLC for next week and I must say that I couldn't be happier.

Tracks-

Drive By Truckers: 3 Dimes Down
Lucinda Williams: Can't Let Go
Neko Case: People Got a Lot of Nerve
Old 97s: Time Bomb (LIVE)
Steve Earle: Satellite Radio

Jimmy Eat World: Futures
Jimmy Eat World: Lucky Denver Mint
Jimmy Eat World: Sweetness

All tracks are masters.



Price
$1.99 (160 Microsoft Points) per track
$8.49 (680 Microsoft Points) for Alt Country Pack
$5.49 (440 Microsoft Points) for Jimmy Eat World Pack

While, I personally couldn't care about the Alt Country Pack, more Jimmy Eat World is always a good thing, and those three songs are some of what I've been dreaming of playing on Rock Band ever since I picked up a plastic guitar.

- Nate

DLC Monday - Spore: Extra Limbs!

Hello and Welcome.

Are you ready to get back that Arm and Leg you paid for Spore?  Well EA decided to give you 24 for free!

Mega Man needs new arms

These free parts are part of the 3 patch to be released since the games initial release.  Its nice to see them giving something for free.  There were also a few minor bug fixes.  You can read more about the patch here.  They also added the ability to have unique screen names for each member of your house hold (now I don't have to share my wife's!)

Don't worry though,  EA isn't THAT nice.  They can't give you everything for free.   With the announcement of this patch, they also announced the Spore Creepy & Cute parts pack.  This game has been out for only two months and they are already releasing add-ons.   Seems they are going the same route as the Sims games.

The parts are 'Exoskeleton' arms and legs.   They will help give you creature that nice armored or skeletal look you had to force with the in game armor, or random parts.   Check out a montage of the parts below:

Anyway, I am off to create some new freaky creatures!  Stay tuned to my SporeCasts for more updates!

~K

DLC Monday: Mirror's Edge Demo

Over the past week, I've played through the Mirror's Edge demo about four times. Honestly, I don't think I'll buy the game (but that's more due to money constraints than liking it), but it's definitely a fun demo.

After breezing through the quick tutorial, you get to whet your appetite for parkour as you play through the first piece of the game. It's a fun ride, and it feels incredibly natural as you use the trigger buttons to bounce from wall to roof to ledge. The controls did take a moment for me to get used to, but once I started really running, it fit the game wonderfully. Once you get to the combat, I kind of felt like things fell apart. I know that you are encouraged to run rather than fight, but when you are required to encounter a baddie all I did was keep hitting the disarm button until I got it right. I'm sure there's more to it as you get better at playing the game, but that's really all I knew how to do at this point.

Since this is only about the demo, there isn't much else to talk about. I know I'm interested in playing more, but I don't know if it's worth the $60 (although definitely worth it when a price drop hits).

DLC Monday: Pub Games.

Hello and Welcome.

Our first entry in Fable week will focus on the XBLA game:  Fable: Pub Games.

 

Pub Games was essentially a way to rack up gold in Fable 2 before the game came out.  It also offered 15 items that could be one from the tournaments in the game.  

There are 3 different games if Pub Games:  Keystone, Fortune's Tower, and Spinner box.

Each of these games offers numerous variations on the games and stakes as well as 5 tournaments per game, corresponding to your players star level.  The difference in a tournament game is you are betting against other "Players" and not just the house.

Keystone

Keystone is essentially a combination of Roulette and Craps.  You place primary bets on the "Arch Stones" around the top of the game prior to the game starting.  Before each dice roll you place inside bets on the Board, similar to the way you would place bets in Craps.

And that is what this game is: Craps.   Just like real Roulette or Craps, your odds of winning are painfully low.  I hate this game....

Anyway, the Prizes you win from the 5 levels of tournaments are:

• Plaits Hairstyle Card
• Dog Book: Backflip
• High Rollers Coat
• Potion of Will
• Championship Pistol

Fortune's Tower

 Fortune's Tower is essentially a type of solitaire (and probably exists in one of those 300 solitaire games collections...). After you make your bets, cards are placed one row at a time, starting with the face down "Tower" card and incrementing one card at a time for each subsequent row. Once a row is placed by the dealer, you have the option of taking the sum of that rows cards as your winnings. Sounds easy right? Well, if a card lines up with any card of the same number on the previous line the game ends and you loose your money.  Each deck has 4 "Hero" cards that can negate this effect if they are dealt in a row.  Also, the Tower Card will automatically be used the first time this happens.  If you make it to the last row without using your Tower card (hero cards are fine) you win the jackpot, which is the sum of ALL cards on the Table.

This game is by far my favorite because you actually have a chance at winning if you play it smart.

Ok, the five tournament items for Fortune's Tower are:

• Deepest Dark Chocolate
• Sleepmaster 3000 (its a bed, duh)
  
• Potion of Strength
• A Face Tatoo
• Championship Cutlass.

 Spinnerbox

Spinner Box is slots.  'nuff said.

The five tourney items are:

• Apple Pie
• Hat, Headband, and Mustache (its a book.)
• Body Tatoo
• Potion of Skill
• Mysterious Ring

Other than achievement points (like the 0 gamer-score "Fabled Financier") and some items there is not really any point to pub games ( you can play all these games in Fable 2) at this point.  You ESPECIALLY should not get Pub Games if you are planning on paying the 800 Microsoft Points ($10).  It came as a preorder bonus for Fable 2 (the only reason I have it. ;) )  and is definitely not worth $10 bucks...  I recommend hitting up your local Gamestop to see if they have any of the preorder cards left over(mine had like 15).

Other than that,  the concept of pub games is an interesting one.  The fact that a publisher would allow you to amass wealth in a game (as well as items)  BEFORE it is released is a bold concept (especially considering it shipped with numerous bugs that allowed you to cheat your way to wealth).  I guess it is the wave of the DLC future.

~K

DLC Monday - Soul Calibur IV: Vader Vs. Yoda

ello and Welcome.

Alright, Finally some Soul Calibur 4 DLC that is not school girl uniforms...  That's right, Yoda for PS3 and Darth Vader for 360.

So for all you PS3 owners out there, congratulations.  The cheapest character in fighting game history is now at your disposal (next to Gon from tekken, Maybe.).

Each character will be available on Thursday for $5.  As much as I would enjoy playing Vadar, 5 bucks seems like a bit much for an aditional character.  Especially when the game itself costs $60.

Of course this seems to be a trend with DLC packs of late.  Charge 5 bucks for something that doesn't really change the game at all.  Instead it just changes how the game looks.  Mega Man 9 did it the with the Proto Man DLC, and more games are doing this type of thing.  Sure it isn't $3 horse armor, but it also doesn't add as much as something like the FREE bikes update to Burnout Paradise.

Ok, sure, Darth Vader has a different move set from the other characters, but at this point, hasn't everyone already chosen their character, or characters?  Sorry, I just have something against a company charging me an arm and a leg for a game, then the other arm for content that was ALREADY DEVELOPED when the game shipped.  But thats probably just my PC side talking, ignore him he gets a bit angry sometimes.

So, if you have SC4 and want these other characters, Check it out.

::rage quits::

~K

DLC Monday: Secret of Mana.

Hello and Welcome.

Ok, first, sorry for no free play friday, I was distracted....
 
Now, on to today.   You may be asking yourself, "Hey, isn't today MONDAY, and doesn't a game like Secret of Mana belong on Retro THURSDAY?"  Well, normally you would be right.  However, Nintendo's Virtual Console released Secret of Mana today!!!!!

Secret of Mana is a slightly different take on the classical square RPG.  It is an Action RPG (like Zelda)  which is playable by up to 3 characters.  You control either the "boy", "girl", or the magical "Sprite".

As you progress through the game you receive a number of different "Mana" weapons that can be upgraded into different forms throughout the game.  Most notable of these weapons is the "Mana Sword".  These weapons are the Boy's mainstays but are also used by the Girl and the Sprite.   The Girl also has defensive magic, were as the Sprite has Offensive magic.  Magic takes the form of  Elemental creatures who lend their powers to the other characters.

Square also implemented a lot of the SNES "Mode 7" graphics engine.  You see this alot in the world map navigation ( like Final Fantasy 6)  and even in some of the boss battles.

I really enjoy the music of Secret of Mana, it is a bit different from Nobuo Uematsu, or Yasunori Mitsuda's works, but it is still epic and really suits the mood of this game.

Epic Title Screen

Not really much else to say about this.  If you have a freind,or family member who loves zelda, or square games,  you should check this out on the Virtual Console.

The only draw back of the VC release... No online multiplayer.  I really hate you sometimes Nintendo, I really do.

Anyway, if you don't own the cart, I recommend it.  It's 800 points and well worth it.

~k

DLC Monday: MegaMan 9

Hello and Welcome.

Wow, I love Mega Man.  Loved it since I saw that atrocious box art and knew I had to play it.  So this week I decided to talk about the recently released : MegaMan 9.

Love that box art, huh?  Capcom opted for a retro look to MegaMan 9, rather than the anime-esque approach of 7 and 8.  Keiji Inafune (and much of the original MegaMan team) wanted people to experience MegaMan in all it's simple and original glory.  Removing things like the Charged shot, and the slide, MegaMan 9 is MegaMan in the purest form.

One of the things that MegaMan 9 returns to, is the blistering difficulty of the original games.  Actually, its more than the difficulty of original games.  The original difficulty of MegaMan was a combination of the limits of programming and graphics.  MegaMan 9 is intentionally difficult at times.  It lulls you into a false sense of saftey, then attacks when you have no hope (or chance) of salvation.  Don't take my word for it, check out this video:

Mega Man 9 'Game Center CX' clip

The music in this game is as good as any of the classics, MegaMan 2 and 3 not withstanding. (the Video above should give you a good idea.)

Capcom finally decided to be "progressive" and stray away from all this "Man" business.  Instead of 8 "Man" robots, they included one "Woman" robot.  Splash Woman to be exact.  She's a mermaid. Progressive right?

Another new feature of MegaMan 9 are the "Challenges".  These are feats(similiar to Xbox Live achievements) that accomplish nothing but bragging rights.  Some of the achievements for the XBLA version are derived from these.  For a least of Challenges check here.   Achievements here.

The last new feature I will talk about is the availability of DLC(for a DLC game?) .  The confirmed list includes Proto-Man as a playable character, as well as some additional modes, mostly higher difficulties (like we need that...)

Well, I am going to go back to trying to defeat the 8 Master (er, 7 master, and one Mistress?) Robots.  Luckily I have two controllers (in case I break one...)

~K

DLC Monday: Bionic Commando: Rearmed

I had never played the original Bionic Commando, but when I started hearing all the hype for the XBLA/PSN remake, I thought it would be worth checking out. Especially for the lovely little price of $10.

The best thing about the game is the co-op play. Probably the worst thing about the game is the fact that co-op is limited to one console - no online goodness. The often brutal difficulty of BC makes it wonderful to have a friend to back you up - mainly because when you die, you won't be sent back to the last door you went through, but instead resurrect next to the other player. This makes the more frustrating parts of the game that much more bearable because you know that you've got another player to fall back upon.

Enough about co-op, how hard is the game for just one player? It's actually not too bad on the normal level of difficulty, but if you try anything above that be prepared for a serious challenge. While playing through, you can definitely tell that it's a remake of an NES game. It forces you to memorize enemy placements and swing points so that many times your first time working through a level is more about learning where you are expected to go rather than getting all the way through it. This, combined with the inability to jump and the focus on learning how to use the claw really makes the game all that much more rewarding when you finish a level (and not just to see the quips when you fight the bosses). However, there is one piece of the game that feels like a true waste of time to me - the overhead levels.

You see, when you are travelling on the map from one level to the next, there are times when you will randomly encounter a truck on the map that forces you to go into a level with an overhead view (rather than the sidescrolling of the regular levels). The thing that is frustrating about these encounter levels is that they are completely pointless. Aside from being able to pick up a 1up, nothing is accomplished in the level. All I do when I get these encounters is equip my rocket launcher and sprint through the level to destroy the truck at the end, ignoring all guys in my way. Sure, these levels were kind of fun the first few times, but I've grown so sick of doing them that I will waste time on the map to try to go around the trucks.

As I mentioned the rocket launcher earlier, I thought it might be prudent to go ahead and say that the selection of weapons in the game is wonderful. Aside from a few moments in the game that it requires you to use specific weapons, you can go through the entire game using your weapon of choice (mine happens to be the vector cannon, which shoots lasers at an angle). Other choices include the shotgun (good for close combat), the revolver (default weapon, but it's actually really good), or the machine gun (great all-around, but takes time to reload).

The final thing I need to mention about BC:R is the challenge mode. Basically, this is a separate part from the story mode where you are set in an area and told to go from one point to another. It sounds easy, and sure the first few challenges are, but once the difficulty starts to ramp up the game becomes the 7th level of hell. Later challenges require you to hit an exact pixel to survive from one swing to the next, and while it feels rewarding to finish one of these super difficult challenges, failing 20 times in a row on one particular spot is pretty frustrating.

To sum up, especially for only $10 bucks on XBLA or PSN, Bionic Commando: Rearmed is a wonderful piece of gaming that really feels like you are playing an NES game (and that's a good thing).

DLC Monday - Castle Crashers

Hello and Welcome to our first DLC Monday.

This week we are going to focus on a downloadable game on Xbox Live Arcade: Castle Crashers

Castle Crashers is the newest game by the team that brought us Alien Hominid. [EDIT: some people where asking who the developer was: The Behemoth.  There, are you happy?] This game is basically an amalgamation of Gauntlet and Golden Axe with a few RPG elements thrown in. It all boils down to a fun beat'em up with a ton of re-playability.

Gameplay consists of running around while hacking and slashing enemies. As you progress through the stages you gain experience and levels, allowing you to upgrade one of four attributes; Attack, Magic, Defense/health, and Agility/Pet. Throughout the game you will collect various weapons that affect you stats in different ways (about 80 or so in total, with subsequent playthroughs) and include such ridiculous things as a fishing pole, Umbrella, Chicken, Sausage, LightSaber and more. You will also collect various pet "orbs"(kind of like animal heads...) throughout the game, all with varying abilities (increase defense, knock down foes, etc).

You start the game with only 4 playable characters(Red, Blue, Green, and Orange Knights) but unlock more characters by beating the game, with each knight, then beating the game again with the unlocked character. You can also unlock characters in one of the two minigames: The arena. Each character has a unique look, and a unique magic.

The other minigame is called "All you can quaf", an eating contest for up to 4 players which doesn't require any skill beyond who can alternate button presses the fastest. This is my least favorite part of the game, and luckily is completely optional.

The Character and level designs are often hilarious and just plain weird. The game rips-off borrows many games and popular culture memes. Lightsabers, ride-able mounts ala GoldenAxe, Terminator 2 death scene, All in a very Rube-Goldberg manner. While the levels are interesting and well drawn, they fall into the stereotypes (intentionally I believe) of most games: Desert, Forest, Ice, Lava levels, etc. There are many other homages to games that I won't spoil here.

The music in the game is silly at times, but for the most part complements each level nicely.

The game is not without problems however. Though it allows for online and local co-op, most people (myself included) have experience difficulties with connecting to an online session. Also, I experienced numerous anomalies in game play that caused me to repeat whole levels: Enemies freezin on screen and becoming invincible (you have to kill them all to progress), overwhelming number of enemies attacking me to the point that I was frozen in place and couldn't die (you have to fall down to die...). A patch is coming in the near future that should address some of these issues.

Despite these issues, I really enjoy the game (beat it last night) and look forward to subsequent playthroughs. I am sure there are a lot of features I missed, but, download the demo (then the game, believe me, you will) and see for yourself.


And now for this weeks DLC releases(and some of last weeks)Click the names for more info:
Virtual Console:

• Vectorman(800 points) - This was a great Genesis game that really pushed the system with some impressive 3D and great music.
  
• Super DodgeBall(500 points)
  

WiiWare:

• MegaMan 9 (1000 points) - A return to the roots of MegaMan. 8-bit graphics, sound, and difficulty!
  
• Plättchen: Twist 'n' Paint (1000 points)
  

XBLA:

• Domino Master(800 Points)
  
• Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown(800 Points)
  

Xbox 360:

• Burnout Paradise Bike Update (Free)
  

PSN:

• COD 4 Map Pack - (repriced to $4.99 until the 25th)

PSN-PSP:

• Cube ($9.99)
• PQ: Practical Intelligence Quotient ($9.99)

And that's it for DLC Monday! Let us know what you think in the comments.

~K