Deliver Hope, Deliver Bombs, Deliver Great Live Action

Whether you're a hardcore who owns every Halo title ever released and was one of the last guys forced off Halo 2's servers, or you swore to never touch the series again after being engulfed by the vibrant pink death of needles, both sides of the spectrum have to agree on at least one thing: Halo be marketing. 

Halo ODST's live action trailer was perhaps the best of the bunch, feeling more like a trailer for a Hollywood blockbuster than a mediocre game. The next entry in the series, Halo Reach, has followed it's predecessor with a bunch of live action spots ranging from "damn, dope" to "bland, nope." 

Deliver Hope, Reach's latest and possibly last big ramp up to the release, delivers indeed. It's a great mix of flawless graphic effects, immersing action, and a tale being told to hook us into buying the game. And buy we will.

Halo Reach drops on September 14th. 

Kill Time With Closure

Bored at the office? At home, waiting for your roommate to finish shaving his legs so you can take your 2pm bubble bath? If you have some time to kill, give Closure a shot. It's a dark styled puzzle platformer that relies on the use of light to pave your way from one end of the stage to the other. Don't get caught without your glowing magic 8-Ball, one misstep in the shadows and you'll disappear right into the void.

Play Closure now!

Rockman Online Blows Minds, Cities

South Korean exclusive Rockman Online has released an animated teaser trailer that is chock-full of amazing. I was overcome with feelings of nostalgia, euphoria, and childish glee that I had not experienced since the first time I loaded up Rockman 8.

As with any good Rockman/Megaman title, there's a lot to process in this clip. Characters from the original series are present and looking good; the first game's robot masters, Protoman in traditional anti-hero fashion, my personal favorite Bass, and of course Megaman himself. Then we're thrown a curve when we see some of Mega Man X's supporting cast urgently working the consoles in a command center. Whaaaat ?! Can we expect to see Sigma? Zero? VILE?!

Gamers with roots in classic gaming will always love Megaman, so logically this trailer has gotten the lot of us piqued. At least until we remember that it's Rockman Online is a South Korean exclusive that currently has no plans to be released elsewhere. Though once Capcom notices the amount of buzz the side-scroller with RPG elements is receiving, they'll be hard pressed to not port it over and give us Mega Man Online.

Preorder Vanquish From Amazon, Get More Guns

Platinum's next big thing, Vanquish, has released fresh footage, dedicated to getting you to preorder for some goodies. The action flosses three exclusive weapons; the Laser Cannon, the Anti-Armor Pistol, and the Boost Machine Gun. True tools of destruction worthy only of those heroes brave enough to preorder.

Trailer releases to plug preorder bonuses are nothing new, Gamestop has been using this old ploy for what seems like ages now. The curve ball this time, however, is that you have to preorder through Amazon to get these shape reconstructing armaments. I've been strictly buying games from Amazon for almost a year now, as they usually offer $10-$20 credit toward future game purchases, and with their Prime program, release date delivery costs you no extra. So for me, this preorder bonus seems like a no-brainer. 

Vanquish slides into your home on October 19th. If you're still on the fence about this wild thrill ride, you're absolutely mad! You can also download the demo on September 2nd to give yourself a good month to realize you've got a loose gasket for sleeping on this title.

In A Perfect World, Shank's First DLC Costume Would Be This

So, what can we do about making this Shank's first downloadable costume, Klei? 

Snowball's chance in hell, I know. But how awesome would it be to play as Brock freakin' Samson? 

While I know this idea will never come to fruition, I do love the massive amount of character skins the game lets you choose from, but as any glutton would tell you, moar is better. 

Which Shank skins do you want to see?

Shank is out today on PSN and tomorrow on XBLA.

And I promise, you won't hear another peep from me about Shank until it's review time.

Shank's Soundtrack is Killer

 

I've been all about Shank the past few weeks, pacing back and forth like an unsatiated fiend waiting for my fix. And while I still have a little more than a day to wait before I dish out revenge in the form of style and pain, developers Klei has made the wait that much easier (or more painful) by releasing Shank's full soundtrack. 

Listen to it. Even if you're not interested in this game, you should listen to it. This soundtrack could easily score Robert Rodriguez's next Mexican shoot'em-up. While it is possible to download each file individually (without proper metadata) Klei assures we'll have a full zip file very soon. Hopefully with some proper labeling and track numbering, but even if not, it's 13 tracks of quality music, for free. Can't complain. Can't wait to hear these tracks in context. Can't stop thinking about Shank.

Shank - Original Video Game Soundtrack by Suite803

Miranda Lawson is Genetically Engineered Cosplay Perfection

Miranda Lawson, Mass Effect 2's genetically engineered perfect woman, is hot. Some might say her suit is more fitting to work a pole than to cleanse the universe of genocidal robot-gods, but damn, dat ass.

Do I feel odd admitting this? Maybe a little, but I don't care. Besides, Miranda is modeled after a real woman, a real good looking woman at that. So seeing this Miranda cosplay made my heart skip a beat. Not only because Miranda's real-life avatar, Jessika F., is a looker but because of the detail Dark Stars put into the shoot and post processing. Omnitools, geth, mechs, skintight suit, Cerberus agents, it's all there. 

Make sure you check out the whole photo set. Not to be missed if you're a fan of Mass Effect, hot cosplay chicks, great photoshop work, or all of the above.

via Kotaku

Spinning Bird Kicks: First Look at Nike vs. Capcom's Chun Li Dunks

It was reported some time back that sneaker heads were getting a pack of Nike Dunks styled after Street Fighter characters, but did any of us know for sure if these kicks were truly inspired by Capcom's opus? Last week, sneaker blog N-SB.org outed some shots of the now confirmed official Nike vs. Capcom Chun Li dunks, and man do they look good. The art on the insole is a great touch. 

At $130 these things ain't cheap, but these are the Euro release. I foresee a price drop when they come stateside, hopefully to no more than $100. Personally, I can't wait to get my feet into the white, red, and black Ryu mids complete with frayed headband Swoosh. Heat? Nah, these are hurricane kicks son. Head past the jump for more pics.

Shout to Geo for the tip (via N-SB.org)

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Schala Dual Techs with Wiz Khalifa, Makes Hip Hop Track

Out drinking with the gang last night, I overheard a ridiculous story being told by DJ console's speakers. After the transpirings of Chrono Trigger, shadowy antihero Magus' older sister Schala has become a dope hip hop producer. Who would've guessed?

Schala gone and performed a double tech with Pittsburgh based rapper Wiz Khalifa fusing her theme from the legendary Square RPG with Wiz Khalifa's familiar, but smooth flow. The outcome is a track that's surprisingly groovable, and made me tip my glass in respect to Wiz.

The track, Never Been, is worth a listen even if you're not the biggest fan of hip hop. So Wiz, what's good with the Cathedral Remix, featuring Frog? Don't front, you know Glenn got some ill lyrics.

One Word; Shank

Developers Klei have found something in Shank that has triggered somewhat of a euphoric explosion in my brain. Yeah, really. The anticipation for this game has been slowly building and now, five days before it's release, I really can't wait to play this shit.

Let's act out a fantasy of Doctor Moreau real quick. Ready? I'm gonna take the art of the Venture Brothers, stitch on the musical brilliance of a modern Morricone, and add the style and savvy of a Robert Rodriguez south-western. Interested? Co-op (the second player looks like Danny Trejo,) multiple character skins (dibs on Jim Kelly,) style, gore, challenge, replay value, and all the other good things in life. Impressed yet? And it's a $15 downloadable title. Yeah, now you're amazed. If Cheech makes a cameo Shank might just reach fuckin' legend status.

By the way, Klei is being brutal enough to release Shank's masterful soundtrack free of charge, here. All it took was 3,000 people to 'like' Shank's Facebook fan page. That was easy. Three hours later, we see why the interwebz can be a beautiful place when netizens work together.

Less than a week until Shank is ready to gut his way into your home and let you take revenge into your own hands. I'm ready, you should be too. If you're not, I'll leave you with my favorite Shank trailer to date. Adios.