Brink Revises its Release Date

Don't you hate when a game you're dying to get into your console is delayed? You were looking forward to spending a few weeks with said game, leaving your couch only to urinate and change underwear every few days. A delay means all the time you set aside for some good ol' game time becomes free, allowing you to do awkward things like take a walk, conversate with friends, or have a drink with beautiful ladies. Honestly, who wants to do that kind of thing anyway?

From the title image and the tone of the first paragraph, you must be thinking the worst about Brink, one of the games that I'm most looking forward to spending a few months with, as a hermit. No need to be a pessimist, buck up kiddo! The news is that Brink will be pushed forward a week, now releasing on May 10 as opposed to May 17. That doesn't happen often, but when it does it's kind of amazing, ain't it?

"Production wrapped on Brink earlier than we planned" said Pete Hines, VP of PR and Marketing for Bethesda Softworks. "It's apparent from the tremendous reaction so far that people are eager to jump online and play, and if we can make that happen earlier - we're going to."

Production wrapped early. Or, they didn't want to compete for sales on May 17 with L.A. Noire. Either way, I've been sold on Brink since it was announced. Bethesda Softworks could choose to release it one day after Armageddon, my corpse would be eagerly awaiting the release date preorder delivery from Amazon. 

Ed Boon Must Feel Like a Boss Right Now

The other day, while walking out of my work place, a boy no more than 10 years old ran to his father, who probably just left work as well. They embraced in a hearty hug, the type fathers give their sons, with a lift off the ground and all that cliche stuff. Just another day as a family man, except I was not prepared for what the tween said. "I want to watch Mortal Kombat again! But not the second one, it sucked." Well, I guess you can't win 'em all. Still, I was surprised that the Mortal Kombat series, game or otherwise, had left a lasting impression on a child of that age.

So somewhere, Ed Boon -- creator of the Mortal Kombat universe -- is sitting in his Shao Kahn throne cackling like the Lord of Outworld himself. Children who are half as old as his creation sing the praises of the original Mortal Kombat films. Mortal Kombat, the latest addition to the fighting game series that has gamers' moistening their undergarments, releases next week. And as of tomorrow, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, a new web series directed by Kevin Tancharoen (of Fame fame) debuts on Machinima.

Yes, Ed Boon must be living the life right now. But more importantly, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, the series stemming from the 7 minute epic released last summer, will finally be released to the ravenous masses. A clip below shows a little of what we can expect. It feels like an early 90's action movie, which is both good and bad. What catches me is that it doesn't seem to have the 'grit' (for lack of a better term) that last year's trailer oozed. However, for Mortal Kombat I'm willing to make an exception, and prevent myself from already damning this production to the Netherrealm. 

Visit Machinima tomorrow to catch the first episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy. If deemed a flawless victory, I'll remind you to visit Machinima every week thereafter to watch the following episodes. If it can come anywhere close to its potential, gamers need to let Warner Bros. know by way of clicks, comments, and social buzz. Then maybe Tancharoen will be given the keys to create a full-length film, as he should have originally, and Ed Boon will continue to rule Outworld like a boss.

According to Shang Tsung, Your Soul isn't Really Yours

Poor Johnny Cage. When he's not busy getting his ass beat in his own trailer, he's getting his ass beat elsewhere. Case in point, Shang Tsung's shine in the latest of the trailers for Mortal Kombat. The age-changing soul thief sees fit not only to kill poor Mr. Cage, but to kill him in one of the most humiliating ways possible. 

Don't worry Johnny, you still have fans. I don't plan on choosing you, but I know people will. And when they do, I will chuckle at your hijinks. Shang Tsung though, looks thoroughly nasty. In case you didn't know, your soul is his. 

Cole's Biggest Decision in Infamous 2 Could be Between Fire and Ice

If tearing stuff up with the powers of lightning alone wasn't enough for you in Infamous, today is your lucky day. In the latest trailer for Infamous 2, Cole is showing off some new powers, specifically those of fire and ice. Who made this guy a mage? Cone of cold, chain lightning, firebolt; you're dead, son!

Cole will not have all these skills available simultaneously, so takes your dreams back to World of Warcraft. A morality alignment with Kuo -- who represents 'good' -- will place ice powers at your behest. Similarly, an aligninment with Nix -- the 'bad' apple -- grants you fire manipulation. Now the choice between good and evil isn't simply how you're feeling after your day at work, the addition of an extra elemental skill set makes the decision that much tougher.

REVIEW: Nintendo 3DS

If there's one thing Nintendo is near untouchable at, it's portable gaming. Since 1989, Nintendo has virtually owned the portable handheld market, beginning with Game Boy. Technically superior competitors, such as the Atari Lynx and Sega Game Gear, could not overcome it. Nintendo followed up the original Game Boy with the Game Boy Color, later the Game Boy Advance and then finally the DS. Every time, these handheld devices stood in the face of the competition and prevailed. Does the 3DS continue Nintendo's streak of handheld dominance? 

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REVIEW: Dragon Age II

I've never played Dragon Age: Origins or it's spiritual predecessor, Baldur's Gate, but for whatever reason, I felt genuinely compelled to play Dragon Age II. In situations like this, I would go back and play the previous titles to get up to speed, but in this case, time wouldn't allow it. To offset my lack of series experience, I've watched a friend play through some of Origins. I've also recruited a rogue with many years of role playing game experience, and a specialization in Dragon Age, as an advisor. We'll call her Snake. Would my party find BioWare's latest suitable for Kirkwall's history books, or would it suffer the fate of a Darkspawn?

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Allow Cave Johnson to Sell You on Portal 2's Turrets

Aperture Laboratories introduces the consumer version of their most popular military grade product; turrets. The friendly and existential sentries are the focus of Valve's latest Aperture investment video series for Portal 2.

Honestly, who wouldn't want a turret in their home, protecting the things they love? I know I sure as hell would. When the sound of gunfire isn't echoing in your child's bedroom, set off by some dust particles, I'm fully confident that my infant will have the best sleep of his life, thanks in part to the Aperture Labs turret's soothing hum. Of course, I believe anything Cave Johnson tells me. 

Portal 2 ships in just about two weeks. Make Cave proud, preorder now. 

Brink is Ready and Able to Kick Ass

If you've been with me for a while, you know how much I'm looking forward to Brink. It's almost here; just a little more than a month until I can start talking friends out of wasting their time with CoD: BlOps and start playing something a little more fun, to say the least. Maybe it's unfair to compare the two, but I'm stoked that Brink encourages and rewards the mobile player, whereas most other modern shooters encourage camping. Boring! 

The latest trailer details some of the customization you'll be able to play with on the abilities front. Things like turrets, hacks, extra life, sticky bombs and molotovs; you know, tools of the trade. Of course, your ability loadout all depends on the class you choose, allowing you to finetune your wall-running machine-gunning experience. Sure they're just perks, but when you combine them with all the other customization options, it seems like each individual player will be able to craft their own personal experience. That's going to go a hell of a long way.

New Ninja Gaiden III Details Leak Like an Open Wound

Life after Tomonobu Itagaki (reknowned pimp, gangster, and former Team Ninja lead) has been business as usual for Team Ninja, as they continue to develop the titles the team has already become known for, such as Ninja Gaiden. We last heard of the ultra-violent series in the form of a teaser trailer, showing head-ninja-in-charge Ryu Hayabusa condemning the viewer to a slow, painful death, before teasing his own unmasking. It didn't make much sense because we've all seen Hayabusa sans mask, so what's the big deal this time?

Games Thirst is reporting some new info, out of the most recent PlayStation: The Official Magazine, straight from project lead Yosuke Hayashi. Apparently unmasking is a metaphor for learning more about Ryu Hayabusa the man, as opposed to Ryu Hayabusa the emotionless killer. Uh oh, they better not give Ninja Gaiden the Metroid: Other M treatment! 

“We are focusing Ryu as a dark Japanese hero,” says Hayashi. “There won’t be new playable characters, but we’ll focus more deeply on Ryu Hyabusa’s life and lifestyle and feelings and thoughts.” Dead or Alive always stated Hayabusa as the owner of a Curio shop. Will we be able to control him as he attempts to sell strange and exotic items to drunken tourists?

“We are trying to take the violent concepts even deeper and make people realize how it feels to actually kill someone and what it is to actually gut someone,” he continued. “It’s very important to us that people realize that violence is not only about blood and gore.” True that, but at the same time, a ninja is supposed to be an emotionless killer. Hayabusa has been cold as ice through most of his adventures as he's cut through legions of humans, beasts, and big breasted women. Why show his emotion now?

At least the incredible level of difficulty will feel familiar to series vets right? Maybe not. “We know that many fans feel good about the difficulty level, but we are taking a slightly different approach. It’s not that the game’s going to be easier – nothing like that." Hayashi stated. "It’s just that we are trying to make a whole game, a more exciting game that can be enjoyed by anyone. But at the same time, hardcore gamers will be able to feel and appreciate what the series is about.”

Hayashi also mentions a "complex multiplayer mode" and gets all defensive about PS3 Move support. 

So there you have it gals and gangstas. With Itagaki's departure comes a huge departure from what the Ninja Gaiden series has been in it's past few installments. Hayabusa's feelings, newb accessibility, and multiplayer. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it definitely sounds like Ninja Gaiden 3 is going to get Other M'd.

via Destructoid

Spider-Man: Edge of Time Continues Trend of Endless Spider-Man Games

Death, Taxes, and Spider-Man games are the three constants in the world today. 2011 is not exempt from this rule, as we are reminded with the announcement of the latest Spider-Man title, Spider-Man: Edge of Time. 

Developed by Beenox (the team behind last year's ho-hum Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions) and published by our overlords at Activision, Spider-Man: Edge of Time lets you assume control of both the old classic Amazing Spider-Man, and the looks-awesome-but-never-quite-caught-on Spider-Man 2099. The action gameplay will feature a "cause-and-effect" mechanic, where the actions of one Spider-Man will directly influence and change the timeline of the other. Not sure if this can work more ways than one, because I don't think events of the future can alter the past. Or can they?! Mind = blown.

While you're busy trying to wrap your mind around riddles of time and space, I'll be drafting up the script for Activision's 2012 Spider-Man title, Italian Spiderman. Spider-Man: Edge of Time is due out this fall for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, and 3DS.