Indie Games Winter Uprising Will Kick Your Ass on the Cheap

Remember Xbox LIVE Arcade's Summer of Arcade, the warm-weather promotion that so awesomely stretched our $15 dollar investments on games like Limbo, Castlevnia HD, and Monday Night Combat? Well it looks like XBLA's oft-overlooked little brother is trying to one up the summer by warming up December.

Xbox Live's indie games are often ignored by the greater public. It's probably because there are so many games to wade through, with most of them being pretty terrible. Though there are plenty of dope, inexpensive indie games, they're buried under the crap, almost impossible to find.

The Indie Games Winter Uprising is trying to change that. A group of solid independent developers have come together and are giving their upcoming projects some well deserved publicity in an attempt to school the uninitiated on what good indie titles are about. There are some killer games featured, most scheduled to drop at some point this week, and none will cost more than $5. For such a diverse selection of great looking games, 80 to 400 MS points is a steal. I've been waiting for Alpha Squad and ZP2KX, but some of these other games look new to me. By new I mean fresh, and by fresh I mean I'll probably download all of them.

Right now, 3 of the scheduled 14 featured titles are already on the Marketplace; Break Limit, Epic Dungeon, and Hypership Out of Control. They're only 80 MS points ($1) each, so I suggest you give them all a shot if you're bored of your current games line up. Find out more about the Indie Games Winter Uprising here.

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You Bet Your Shiny Spartan Ass a Halo HD Remake is Coming

There's a strong rumor in the wind that speaks of Halo: Combat Evolved making a return in HD form. Originally released in 2001, 343 Industries is said to be working on Halo HD, which would use the Halo: Reach engine, to commemorate the series' forthcoming 10 year anniversary.

Of course, soon after the rumor surfaced, Microsoft dispatched their vigilant spokespeople to shoot it down, and with it, the dreams of Halo fanboys across the globe. Speaking with Eurogamer, M$ says, “Right now our focus is on supporting Halo: Reach. We have nothing to announce at this time.” Of course you have nothing to announce at this time, Microsoft, but you did leave the door ajar by not denying it.

Do you feel that? It's the reinvigorated hope of the Halo fandom. Bask in it. Xbox LIVE, Slayer, Hang 'em High, ridiculously overpowered sniper magnums. Do want.

Infinity Blade Gets Dated, Priced, Sliced

Get used to swiping the hell out of your iOS device with your finger, because you will be doing a lot of simulated slicing come December 9th, when Chair Entertainment and Epic Games unleash Infinity Blade.

The beautiful action RPG will run you $5.99 on the App Store, weighing in well below the $9.99 I thought the price point would be. For a six buck entry fee, it'll be hard not to pass Infinity Blade up, that is unless you don't have an iOS device. Or hands. Sorry bro. 

Xbox LIVE Rewards Program Pays You Back For Doing Stuff

Sign up. There's no catch or hidden fees or anything, and it's open to all Xbox LIVE users, meaning the Silver members finally get some love too, instead of being relegated to redheaded step-child status, like so often the case in the past. 

The program is very vaguely described as allowing you to "earn Microsoft points for doing things they already do on Xbox LIVE." Obviously we're not going to be getting free points for playing games and watching Netflix all day. Points will be earned by renewing LIVE subscriptions, activating Netflix (for the first time only? Lame), taking monthly surveys, and purchasing select Marketplace content. Select content? I don't like how that sounds.

Regardless, it will be nice to earn 10 and 20 points here and there, when you probably would be spending money on these things even without the rewards program. Now if only we can get some sort of GamerScore rewards program.

via Major Nelson

Yakuza Creator's Futuristic Shooter is Binary Domain

Wake up fool!

The ultra-tanned, hostess magnet Toshihiro Nagoshi, best known as the creator of Sega's prolific Yakuza series, has thrown his skin flakes into the futuristic shooter ring. With an emphasis on squad-based tactics, Binary Domain is set in a torn-down Tokyo circa the year 2080, where it's humans versus the machines, baby.

The trailer, which is quite lengthy, foregos gameplay for the trusty old cinematic sequences, chock full of the same old played out odds and ends. Robots that look like T-800s, a torn down Tokyo, and a very bland group of characters, including a Ben Affleck look-a-like and the token black man.

"When you hear sci-fi you may think of cold, clinical environments," Nagoshi-san states. "With Binary Domain I wanted to combine this with a deep human drama. The keyword we have in mind for this project is 'Life'. I wanted to make something that will be accepted by both the Japanese and Western markets, and this fundamental theme is something everyone knows but which the full extent of can be difficult to grasp." 

You gotta give it to the man, he talks a good one. Human drama is not something that's even remotely tied to shooters, but fans of Yakuza will tell you, despite its action, the well done drama element is the game's main draw. As for appealing to the both Japanese and Western gamers, well.. The hoorah-heavy, testosterone-laced man's men we're looking at aren't typically well received by Japanese gamers. You make one look like Ben Affleck, and the other a racial stereotype, and Japanese acceptance will be sure to plummet even further, no doubt. We'll see.

I admire what Nagoshi-san has done with the Yakuza series, so I'm half expecting Binary Domain to blossom into something special. If the last chunk of the trailer is any indication, we'll at least be in store for something interesting.

REVIEW: Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood

Written by contributing author John Yon

Three main games in three years time have caused some to be wary of assassin overload, that maybe such a release schedule would prematurely wear out an assassin's welcome. Though continuing on its course, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood finally brings the trilogy’s grand adventure to an end. As a direct sequel to Assassin’s Creed 2, Brotherhood attempts to send Desmond and his ancestors off in style. Does it live up to the hype and expectations, or does the leap of faith miss its mark?

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Listen to an Old White Man Narrate Yakuza 4

While the Yakuza: Of The End hype machine is in full swing for it's 2011 release date, Western gamers can look forward to a different chapter in the Yakuza series early next year. Yakuza 4 will finally have run its way through the localization steps, and according to Sega, will not have as much content cut out as Yakuza 3. It's been a long time to wait since Yakuza 4's early 2010 release in Japan, but hopefully it will be worth it.

And what better way to get excited about 4's delayed release than with an old white man giving you the skinny on the nightlife, hostesses, and all around gangsta of being a yakuza.

"These guys are so tough, they don't even use umbrellas. And that's saying something."

Urgh. 

Sega of America must have missed the memo that people play the Yakuza series because they enjoy the immersion into the Japanese culture and lifestyle. Why would they use an old, English speaking man as opposed to a Japanese narrator, I don't know. Maybe they're trying to expand the audience past the niche of gamers with a strong interest in Japan. This voice-over makes the game sound more like a spaghetti western than a Japanese crime drama. 

Fortunately, we all know Yakuza 4 will be heavy on the Japanese tip, as with previous entries, only giving you the option of subtitles and forgoing English dubs. Saving money or preserving the experience? I'd like to think the latter, but you never know.

REVIEW: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Castlevania is one of the most prolific titles of our generation. Yet depending on who you ask, the series has staled of late. No matter who you ask, it's a universal truth that the Belmont clan's quest to slay Dracula and his minions has never successfully made the jump from pixels to polygons. Fans of the series were hoping that Konami could, with Hideo Kojima's stamp of approval, turn their floundering franchise into something grand, worthy of the Vampire Killer's history. Does Castlevania: Lords of Shadow live up to the legacy, or is it a miserable little pile of secrets?

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Human Revolution Continues to Impress

Deus Ex: Human Revolution has intrigued me for a while. I think it's fair to it's got the attention of of both fans of the series and newcomers alike, and why not? Slick graphics, in-depth and lengthy gameplay, and a strong history backing it, sort of. The original Deus Ex is a legendary, ground-breaking game, but the series has since lost some of the people who have made it so good. The sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, was still good, but gets flak from many fans and journalists as taking the series in the wrong direction.

It looks like Human Revolution is doing it's damnedest to change the mind of Invisible War's detractors. The latest trailer shows a substantial amount of gameplay, and most of the game's four pillars in action. These pillars represent different ways you can progress through the story; combat, stealth, hacking, and social intereation. The combat looks on point. The weapons shown in the trailer seem to do a little of everything; silenced pistols, EMP grenades, an area-of-effect stun gun (?), and a laser that goes through walls for God's sake. Also, arm swords. Hell yeah. We also see a bit of the upgrade system in action, as protagonist Adam Jensen combines a revolver with something else to create a fucking hand cannon. Sweet.

Stealth is shown, but not much. Adam goes see-through to get past some laser detection security, and to sneak up on a couple unassuming enemies. We don't see him use his stealth to overcome an entire area or mission, but I suppose that would take too long. Hacking is used on a few occasions, with Adam hacking a security drone to turn on its allies, and also using a mini-game to complete some sort of objective. No sign of any social interaction to complete objectives, but as the first meaty chunk of Human Revolution gameplay, do we really wanna see lots of talking? I think the choice to show people getting blown up was the right call. However when the social aspect comes into play, we can be relieved to know that the voice acting seems top notch. 

If you choose to explore all four pillars of gameplay, there's over 40 hours of Revolution to be found. Should you stick with the basics of combat and stealth, you'll still find a more than respectable 25 hours of play. A deep, sexy experience, coupled with multiple endings and different ways to play reaffirms the belief that Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one to keep your eyes on.