GOW II started and ended on a pretty intense note, so naturally, stakes were high for the follow-up, which would be Kratos’s PS3 debut. When we last left Kratos, he was leading the titans in a war against the gods of Olympus, who had betrayed him in the title. As you can imagine, things get crazy from the get-go, and players will be on the edge of their seats to see how the saga ends. The gameplay doesn’t depart much from the previous titles, and that’s a good thing. You even get to keep the relics you found in GOW II: The Wings of Icarus and Apollo’s Fleece. Don’t you hate it when you play a sequel starring the previous game’s protagonist and you lose all the cool stuff they had without explanation? You’ll also gain a host of new weapons, each with a magical power attached to it. Series staples such as quick time events, orb upgrading, and even the sex minigames return. God Of War III once again cements Kratos’s status as one of gaming’s biggest action heroes.

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Adding Cole from “Infamous” as a Playstation exclusive character was a cool idea. He could work as either an SF or Tekken character.

But Mega Man from the original NES box art? That is crazy! Pac Man in a mech suit? CRAZIER.

PC gamers on this side of the pacific sure loved their Tom Clancy shooters at one time. Games like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six bought tactical shooting fans joy, more so than they did when ported to consoles. However, in the early part of last decade, UbiSoft used the Tom Clancy license to create something altogether different: A stealth action game partially inspired by Konami’s Metal Gear Solid. The result was Splinter Cell, a game which told a story of political intrigue and deception, and rose to become one of last generation’s biggest franchises, while making its star, Sam Fisher, one of gaming’s biggest action heroes.
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Insider Mobile Apps reports that Microsoft may be ending its virtual currency and going to a system that will charge users real money.

The most popular platform for MS points has been the Xbox 360, where they debuted with Xbox Live Arcade releases in 2005. In the past 5 years there have been several modifications to the system, including lowering the smallest pack for purchase. When Games On Demand appeared with retail releases available for direct download, Microsoft allowed publishers to charge an actual amount to a credit card.

With the Zune and Windows Phone added to Microsoft’s virtual store fronts, the company no doubt wants to streamline their service. No indication has been made if the retail gift cards will be recalled or if existing points credited to accounts will be converted to their nearest dollar and cent equivalent.

Are you excited to be done with points? Or did you like having a little virtual pocket change rattling around your account waiting to spent?

Cross posted from zacshipley.com

A lot of movies and video games seem to come with cardboard sleeves around the plastic cases. These seem like something to hold additional materials, or maybe as a box for multiple discs (such as a season of a TV show). More often than not I end up with boxes that are just for a single movie in a single case. Maybe they help the movie stand out on a shelf in a store?

What do you think? Do you keep these sleeves? Do you keep your cases at all?

First starting life as a iphone/android game, Dungeon Defenders has since graduated to an PC/Xbox Live/PSN best seller. This hybrid of action RPG and tower defense has since become a hit with over 600,000 players worldwide. As one of 4 characters, your mission is to defend your crystals against hordes of oncoming invaders, either by your skills or your selection of defenses. Each character class has their own upgradable skills, and unique defenses. Several other classes have been added via downloadable content. The game is even more fun when you join up with other players via co-op. Weather you’re a casual gamer, a fan of tower defense titles, or a fan or RPGs looking for the next big smash, check this out.