The Gaming 5 & 1 01.12.12: The Backwards Fantasy Party Edition

Posted by Sean Garmer on 01.12.2012

Eliza Dushku is Your & 1 Model of the Week, the final GOTY versus takes place as well with Batman Arkham City ready to slay the dragons in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, talk about CES, backwards compatibility, and more!

Hello everyone. Hope you all are enjoying the CES coverage around the internet. I am glad that we are not hearing anything about new consoles from Sony and Microsoft yet. Nintendo, on the other hand, does need to tell us more about the Wii U unless they want the launch to bomb like the 3DS did. In other news, the BCS once again proved it needs a tune-up with Alabama's win on Monday night. I will be glad when the end of January comes around and we get some more big games coming out. Until then, we will just have to wait on the news to roll in to keep us busy. So with that, let us get to everything that is in store for this edition of the Gaming 5 & 1.






Before we get started, I'd like to link up my other Gaming 5 & 1 brethren. We have officially taken over the site now that this column is up. However, here are the others to follow around as well. First, on Monday's we have the ever busy Jeremy Thomas with the Music 5 & 1 Then, we have my gaming zone buddy Stewart Lange coming from down under with his MMA 5 & 1 This column comes out on Thursdays. And then on Saturdays we get a double dip of Steve Gustafson with the Hollywood 5 & 1 And Greg DeMarco with the Wrestling 5 & 1 Man that's a lot of gossip and girls for one website to hold.


Versus: Game of the Year Edition

So, for the first month I'm going to be doing a versus to let 411 readers decide which game is in fact "Game of the Year." After 50 votes, Batman Arkham City has defeated the two week champion, Legend of Zelda SS. So this week we have the final vote for the 411 reader GOTY: Batman Arkham City will try to slay the dragons in Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.






A Look Back At Some Games


The 411 Games writers work hard each week to give you reviews and previews of your favorite titles. So, why don't we take a look back and see what they had to say...





Kung-Fu High Impact (Xbox 360 Kinect Review)

Kung-Fu High Impact is enjoyable for the first half hour or so, but then you'll grow bored, frustrated, and tired by the gameplay. The combat registers well with Kinect, but the gameplay is so boring and so bland that you'll end up flailing your arms around like a monkey waiting for all the enemies to die. High Impact is a game that's technically impressive, but there's no real game to enjoy. The story is short, the story isn't that fun to play, and the other modes are merely a distraction from the main game. Rating: 5.5

By: Mark Salmela (Reviewer, Games Zone Savant and Comedian)




Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Nintendo Wii)

A perfect score for Skyward Sword means that I recommend this game with no qualifications, no reservations, and no hesitation. Do you have a Wii? Do you have fifty dollars? If your answer to both of these questions is yes, then you should pick up this game. If you haven't taken the Wii plunge yet, Skyward Sword is the most compelling reason to own the system. Rating: 10.0

By: Justin Weinblatt (Reviewer, Resident Games Zone Fill-In Guy)




Trine 2 (XBLA/PSN Review)

All the faults, however, still can't hold back Trine 2. It's a tough but rewarding puzzle-platform game that looks absolutely gorgeous. It nails the feel of a living, breathing fairy tale world better than any game, movie, or TV show I've seen this generation. Rating: 9.0

By: Vince Osorio (Reviewer, Writer of Bytes/Flops)



Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Hardened Edition (PS3 Review)

Call of Duty: Hardened Edition is the perfect gift for the most hardcore of hardcore gamers and especially first-person shooters and Call of Duty fans. It comes with a ton of extra duties and some extra special online access. It does cost over $100, but it gives a lot of bang for your buck if you are so inclined. Rating 9.4

By Jeffery Harris (411 Games Reviewer and Features Guy)


Apples to Apples (XBLA Game)



"Overall, Apples to Apples on XBLA is a pretty bare-bones presentation of the game, but presents it nicely. Besides the single-player, a lot of fun can be had with multiplayer. If you have some friends online looking for something to do, definitely keep this game at the top of the list. Rating: 7.2"

By: Adam Larck (411 Games Editor, The Bossman if ya will)


WWE 12 (Also on PS3 & Wii)



"This game is still a great pick-up for any WWE fan out there, especially for those that love to create, post those creations online, and then use them forever in universe mode. There is plenty they can do to continue to improve the game in the future and I think that's a good thing. But for now, WWE 12 is what it is, providing the closest thing you can get to WWE TV possible, while also sharing with you some of the company's flaws as well." Rating: 8.0

By: Sean Garmer (Reviewer, Writer of the Games 5 & 1)



Games Video-A-Go-Go



I am always happy to see cooperative play in a shooting game because it's something we do not see much of anymore. Syndicate is a remake of a classic EA game made by the same studio that brought us The Darkness. The game looks pretty good and I might make it my February game purchase.






I am staying in the gaming arena for this column because the Consumer Electronics Show took place this week. So, the rumors have now started as to what will be shown at the Electronic Entertainment Expo.

Sony has once again said that they will not be showing us anything PS4 related for a long time because the PS3 has a 10-year cycle. Microsoft has confirmed they are working on a 360 successor, but have not revealed any details on it yet. Microsoft seems to have had a resurgence since the Kinect has come around. So, we may not see anything about the new Xbox console for a while either.




I am part of the media team for my church that makes videos, edits audio, and does other media centered outlets for them. As I mentioned before, I received a Kinect for Christmas and I really like what it brings to the Xbox experience. I started wondering how people could use the Kinect for non-gaming opportunities. At CES, Microsoft announced they were bringing the Kinect to the PC. I think this is a great way to expand the Kinect to other avenues. People can use this as a form of rehabilitation in hospitals, create projects for school, and even add unique teaching methods to a class. The possibilities for other things that can use Kinect are endless and this is a very smart thing that Microsoft is tapping into here. Microsoft officials have said "Kinect has given new life to the 360. In its sixth or seventh year consoles sales start to decline, but the Kinect has shipped 18 million units and has helped give us 66 million 360 buyers."

Microsoft also announced that they are bringing more multimedia to the console, as they have reached a deal with News Corporation to bring the FOX brand to the Xbox. I am sure there will be more deals reached with multimedia companies as the time for "Xbox Live TV" draws near. Microsoft is also bringing Xbox Live to the PC and Windows phone in order to provide more connectivity between all of Microsoft´s devices.

Sony´s strategy seems to be connectivity between their products as well. They are also promising to focus on having big titles for the PS3 and PS Vita, too.

I am saying all of this because I think Microsoft and Sony are both taking the right strategy. Nintendo put all their eggs in one basket with the Wii and it paid off extremely well. However, people are starting to tire of the gimmick machine and going back to the other consoles. Nintendo really has no choice but to introduce the Wii U this year if they want to stay relevant at all.



Even though it may not be anything other than Nintendo trying to play catch-up to the other consoles, it is better than having nothing to show for a few more years. Nintendo still has not delivered a press conference at CES, but even if they do show us something about the Wii U, can we expect anything earth shattering? As I said last week, there is no reason for Sony and Microsoft to rush out new consoles. They developed their consoles to have length and each one of them could still develop for a few years before running the well dry. Microsoft´s Kinect has given them plenty of new territory to explore and PlayStation has the Vita and Move.

The rumors of new console announcements for the 2012 version of E3 have been on and off. I, for one, hope we have a few more years of 360 vs. PS3 before the new consoles come out.



Jessica Alba wants the current generation of consoles to stick around too



Now it's time for... The 5 Buttons (News Items) of the Week






5. CES reveals PS Vita Data Plans




US data plans for the handheld were revealed. There are two plans through AT&T, one with a 250MB cap per month for $14.99, and the other with a 2GB cap for $25. Neither plan requires a contract.

In addition, Executive Deputy President Kaz Hirai announced that the handheld has sold over 500,000 units in Japan since launch.

Also, Netflix should be usable in the US and Europe on it on "day one," as well as Music Unlimited.

I guess it is nice that the PS Vita sales keep going up each week. But, with this announcement I see more angry US fans. We have already seen many cell phone providers have to provide 4GB plans for phones. I can only imagine the backlash we are going to get when the PS Vita slows down because you can only get up to 2GB on the system. If the system is supposed to have Netflix and Music Unlimited at launch, it is not going to take long to fill that up. I also think those plans need to go down to $9.99 a month and $19.99 a month. At least future PS Vita owners already know what to expect when the end of February rolls around.


4. Activision and Infinity Ward have made plans

The DLC for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 kicks off this month on January 24. The plan right now is to have a total of 5 DLC drops over the next 3 months, with a grand total of 20 by September. The first DLC is a map pack featuring "Liberation" and "Piazza". But they don't intend to simply stick to map packs this time around.

Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling states that "The first pack is traditional multiplayer maps, but we want to do Spec Ops missions, missions, Spec-Ops Survival, new game types, new game modes, and really look at adding things that we've never done before," he continues "We said just do what you think is gonna be good. Do what's fun and, as long is fits in the Modern Warfare universe, try it! Experiment with it, and we'll take the best of the best and start polishing it up and releasing it. So that's really where our focus has been."

That is a heck of a lot of DLC folks. If you are going to charge 50 to 60 bucks for Call of Duty Elite, you better be delivering DLC all the time and I am glad they are living up to it. It is great fan service to deliver not only map packs, but also new game modes and missions. I recently got into the whole Call of Duty craze, but I still don't think it is some out of this world game.


Here is the trailer for the first new map pack…





3. Microsoft throws another house party

Microsoft is once again throwing a house party filled with excellent downloadable titles for the Xbox LIVE Arcade. The promotion begins on February 15, 2012, and will feature four back-to-back releases with a new title every Wednesday. The games included are: Alan Wake: American Nightmare (Microsoft Studios), I Am Alive (Ubisoft), Nexuiz (THQ), Warp (EA)


I did not expect "Alan Wake American Nightmare" to come so soon. I was very interested in the game when I saw the trailer at the VGA´s. "I Am Alive" has been talked about for a long time and it is good it is finally coming out. All these games seem interesting and I might trial play all four of them. "Nexuiz" is similar to a lot of movies we have seen, where you battle inside an arena against others. "Warp" is a neat puzzle game . Microsoft really did a great thing by bumping up the cap space for the downloadable titles and I hope the next batch of titles are even better than these.


Here is the trailer for the party….




You know who else likes to party…


Apparently she partied too much for her now ex-husband Russell Brand.


2. GameSpot says Backwards Compatibility is Important


GameSpot published the results of a reader survey conducted by GameSpot Trax that indicated the PlayStation 4 and Xbox 360 successor already have a leg up on the Wii U, Nintendo's forthcoming tablet-based console in terms of consumer purchase intent.

The survey also revealed was that backward compatibility was viewed as an important feature for next-gen consoles more than any other. Some 83 percent of respondents said backward compatibility was either "very important" or "somewhat important" to them in a new console. Better graphics was important to 80 percent, while ability to download full games was important to 49 percent, and better integration of motion controls was important to 32 percent. Despite that, GameSpot's survey also found that just 24 percent of respondents believed backward compatibility is likely to be a feature of the next generation of consoles.

I am glad gamers have banded together to let console makers know that they want their games to work on the next generation of consoles. Microsoft and Sony introduced too much stuff during this generation of consoles to not allow BC to continue into the next generation. The sheer amount of DLC that has been purchased is astounding and you cannot tell your fans "thank you, but we do not care about all the money you have spent." I would not mind if they had to make all the games available digitally, but they have to make the DLC transition over. With cloud gaming now available I do not see how they cannot do this. I have over 700 songs on Rock Band and a few downloadable games as well. I better be able to play all of those songs and games on the next Xbox whenever it comes out.

I got nothing here, so how about a nice picture of Megan Fox…






1. Final Fantasy XIII-2 Demo goes live

The demo came out on Tuesday and I am supremely excited for this. I am a huge Final Fantasy fan (except for the MMO titles) and I actually liked FF XIII a lot more than most people. So, anyone that feels the same way, enjoy this trailer.





So, Here We Go Everybody's Favorite...





She guest starred on "The League," starred in Torchwood: Web of Lies, and did the voice for Meagan McQueen on Fight Night Champion all in 2011. She also did the voice for Rubi in the game "Wet" and of course is remembered for being in "Tru Calling."


May I Present: Eliza Dushku











Twitter Break

@Sean Garmer
@411Games
@411Music
@411Wrestling
@411Movies/TV
@411MMA


Before Turning Off My Console


The 411 Games Section and other sections of the site have some magnificent writers and it is time to honor them here. There are many other great columns on 411. If I did not link your favorite writer, it means right now I do not read their column or news report because I probably don't have time. There are a lot of damn columns on this site. If you want to explain to me why I should read more 411 stuff, by all means go right ahead.

Sundays:

My buddy David Martell and the guys at the Triple Threat. I filled in for David this week.

A female wrestler has her own column on this website, her name is Terra Calaway and it's all about the Hot Stuff.


Mondays:

Trace Aber has the Living LIVE News Report.

Matthew Sforcina brings us Ask 411 Games.

Stephen Randle handles the Wrestling News Experience.

Another shout out to Steve Gustafson with his Big Screen Bulletin.


Tuesdays:

Stewart Lange has taken over Games: Fact or Fiction and done a great job with it.

I always read News From Cooks Corner to get my wrestling news.

I'm usually on this, but this week I'm not. Check out the Music Top 5, Talented Female Singers, organized by Ben Czajkowski

Here´s a music zone special check it out Year in Review. The Music staff has a roundtable for the year that was 2011.


Wednesdays:

Lee Price going retro with Retronomicon. This week he looks at Alundra from the PS1 era.

Stephen Randle also organizes the Four Player Co-op.

Music Fact or Fiction, organized by Joseph Lee.

TV's Rants and Raves is great! And usually stars Ben Piper. This week Mike Gorman took over and talked about Community, Glee, Grimm, and a few other shows.

Matthew Sforcina also does Ask 411 Wrestling, which is always an interesting read. Plus, he also has one of the coolest banners out there.

James Wright Brings You The Heel Report. Ranking the Heels in wrestling is a hard thing, but you know he does it in style.


Thursdays:

Of course you have to read the Games Top 5. I mean, seriously, it's all about 2012's most anticipated games for goodness sakes.

Vince Osorio is kind enough to give us hisBytes And Flops.

Besides this column, you also have Wrestling Fact or Fiction. Russ Rutherford and Patrick O´ Dowd go at it here.

I'm a big music guy so I'm always interested to know the next great thing Ron Martin will uncover for us in Ask 411 Music.

Jeremy Thomas is a very busy guy around here, he does a ton of stuff like organizing 411 Music Buy Or Sell. Wyatt Estabrooks and Adam Hill go at it to rate the best of 2011. Adele´s Rolling in the Deep, Nicki Minaj´s Super Bass, and Foo Fighters Rope are some of the tracks on here.

I love Joseph Lee's look at Horror Movies in A Bloody Good Time. Read as he gives you the top 10 horror movies with big stars.


Fridays:

Jordan Williams brings another round of Working Title. Winners in his column this week.

Dan Watson also brings you his year in review in the Average Gamer. Taking a final look at 2011.

The 10th Hour is done by a guy named Armando Rodriguez. Enjoy his Top 10 PSN games of 2011.

Al Norton has one of my favorite columns on all of 411 with his Two Tivos to Paradise I would know nothing about the ratings on TV if it wasn't for him.

Movies/TV Fact or Fiction is always fun and is organized by Ben Piper.

Here are a couple of specials focusing on the Movies/TV Awards of 2011. Here is part 1 that focuses on the TV side of things. Then here is part 2 that focuses on the movies.

Saturdays:

Shawn Lealos is a really good writer and he makes my weekends with Alternate Takes This time its about the top comic book films of 2011.


Don't forget to check out my friends and co-writers out over at New Game Plus as well. Drew Robbins, John De Large, and myself do some awesome stuff over there.



Well I think that's all for this week. I hope everyone has a good week. My second week in Miami has continued my curse for sports teams, as only Tim Tebow and the Broncos went on to win their playoff game against the Steelers. I cannot believe Alabama blanked LSU either, that was ridiculous. I hope the Packers, 49ers, Broncos, and Houston win in the divisional playoffs this week. See you all next week folks.

Don't forget to follow me on twitter @SeanGarmer and check out my Facebook page Sean Garmer.