The Flickcast’s gaming division loves retro. Not one of us hasn’t broken out their old NES, blown into a cartridge, and booted up the original Super Mario Bros. even though it came out decades ago. So when we heard one of our Capcom classic favorites from the Super Nintendo and arcade era was making a return to XBox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, of course we were excited.

Set for April 14th on XBox Live Arcade and a day later on the PlayStation Network, Final Fight: Double Impact brings back the classic side-scroller beat ‘em up goodiness of both Final Fight and Magic Sword. In Final Fight, players take the role of either Cody, Guy or the most jacked mayor ever, Haggar, as they try to save Haggar’s daughter from Mad Gear and his goons. With six levels of Metro City to explore, players will get the chance to see Cody and Guy before they appear in the upcoming Super Street Fighter IV release.

In Magic Sword, players take on the role of “The Brave One” who must defeated the evil forces of a mystical tower and rid the world of its evil lord Drokman. But The Brave One isn’t alone as he has eight companions of unique skill sets who will aid him in his journey.

Both games will feature online drop-in multiplayer as well as a fully remixed soundtrack and updated graphics. The two-pack will retail for $9.99 (or 800 Microsoft Points). Stay tuned to the Flickcast for more news and reviews on Final Fight: Double Impact as it becomes available.

Continue Reading →

UFC Undisputed 2010 is already being billed as the top contender for fighting games for this year. With Brock Lesner as its headliner and over 100 members of the UFC roster playable in the game, it may feature the most unique number of matchups on any fighting game released this year.

And as last year’s titled has shown us, it isn’t about mastering combos like Down-to-Right + Strong Punch like the classic Street Fighter II days and racking up overblown combos. It is about innovative gameplay and strategy both on the players and developers part.

Ever trying to improve on their fighting systems like they did with the SmackDown vs. Raw series, THQ has announced some additional features making their debut in this year’s UFC Undisputed 2010:

• Full upper body and head movement with a new Sway System
• New Posture System that allows for stronger, fight-ending strikes from the ground
• Introduction of Southpaw stance and the ability to change stances during a fight
• Multiple MMA disciplines, including the new additions of Sambo, Karate and Greco-Roman Wrestling
• Variety of new strikes, submissions, transitions and cage positions

Continue Reading →

Despite the monetary success, those closest to the original Transformers consider Michael Bay’s work on the movie franchise nothing short of abomination. Just hearing the word can now send a shiver down our spines as so much of our childhood was violated by his racism filled robotic romp.

Hearing there was going to be a new Transformers game brought us that same feeling. However, there was a shining light coming through the clouds, as bright as the AllSpark, when it was announced that the upcoming Transformers: War for Cybertron would be based on the original G1 universe.

Not only would Transformers: War of Cybertron take place in the most beloved of Transformers canon, but it would fill in the blanks for many fans of the series. All under the watchful gaze of franchise creators Hasbro, High Moon Studios has put together the pieces of what happened during the civil war between Autobot and Decepticon before the two factions found themselves warring on earth. In the video after the jump, it is obvious that High Moon Studios shares the affinity for Transformers Generation One that Michael Bay looked over.

Published by Activision, Transformers: War for Cybertron will come out for the XBox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, Nintendo DS and the PC in May of this year. Click through to take a look at what is in store for longtime and newfound fans of the Transformers.

Continue Reading →

Regardless of how you feel about her, Lady Gaga is certainly a pop culture sensation. Fans across the globe are going ga-ga for her newest music video “Telephone” featuring Beyonce, which just hit the web. This week, they’ll be able to rock out to some of her previous hits, including “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face,” which are coming to the Rock Band store.

What’s even more exciting, and hilarious, is that Eric Cartman’s cover version of “Poker Face” is also slated for Rock Band release. The song was first heard on a South Park episode where Cartman would rather play Rock Band than save whales being slaughtered by Japanese terrorists. The cover has been the subject of many a YouTube video, including some remixes with Lady Gaga’s original version, and the version sung/spoken by the amazing Christopher Walken.

Not sure how much fun the original Lady Gaga songs will be to play on Rock Band, but the Cartman version is sure to be a favorite. The Lady Gaga Track Pack and the rest of the new songs available for Rock Band will be released March 16th for Xbox 360 and Wii, and March 18th for the PS3. Here’s the full list of songs.

Continue Reading →

Maybe it’s the fact that we have an affinity for music games around here. Maybe it’s because two of our review crew are former disc jockeys. Maybe it’s just because it is a damn good game. Whatever the reason, we’ve been big fans of DJ Hero since its release late last year. Between a 9.0 review score and awarding it “Best Music Game of 2009″ along with Beatles: Rock Band, DJ Hero has earned itself a place in our hearts and on our gaming shelves.

Lucky for us (and for you), yesterday Activision announced a downloadable three pack of mashups for DJ Hero featuring the headline artists of the game’s Renegade Edition, Jay-Z and Eminem. Coming on first to the XBox 360, the three pack will include:

“Can I Get A…” by Jay-Z / “Lose Yourself” by Eminem (Shown Below)

“Shake That” by Eminem / “Show Me What You Got” by Jay-Z

“Without Me” by Eminem / “Encore” by Jay-Z

The XBox download will cost 640 Microsoft points ($8.00) on March 18th.
PlayStation 3 will be receiving the pack at $7.99 on March 25th.
Wii will have all three songs as downloadable singles for 300 Nintendo Points ($3.00) each on March 25th.

Take a look at “Can I Get A…”/”Lose Yourself” from the upcoming pack after the jump and keep it here for more news on the game as it breaks!

Continue Reading →

Move over, Wii. You’re no longer the only motion-controlled gaming system in town. While Playstation 3’s Sixaxis controller had some motion-sensing capabilities, it wasn’t much to write home about. But yesterday, at Sony’s GDC press conference, the company officially revealed their new motion-controller, simply called “The Move.”

Looking curiously similar to the Wii-mote, the Move will feature True 3D rotation, buttons similar to the regular Sixaxis, and an analog trigger. The Move also has rechargeable batteries, and plugs into the same USB port as the Sixaxis.  The device seems to have two controllers, like the Wii-mote and nunchuck combination seen on the Wii.

The difference is that the Move’s two devices are connected wirelessly. The Move is said to be far more sensitive and responsive than its predecessor, because it uses the Playstation Eye to detect movement as opposed to a sensor bar like the Wii.

Games like LittleBigPlanet and EyeToy were demoed with the Move, and third party publishers like Square Enix, Konami, EA, Ubi, Disney, Sega, WBI, Crave, and Activision are all behind this new technology. It also looks like the Playstation 3 will start getting ports of games originally slated for the Wii, the first one being The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn’s Quest.

The Move will be released on its own, bundled with the Playstation Eye, and in a Playstation 3 bundle. No idea how much the controller will cost on its own, but bundled with the Eye it’ll set you back about $99. You’ll be able to get your hands on the Move this fall.

Who hasn’t walked down the street and seen people with their heads buried in their iPhones? And you know they aren’t all looking up stock quotes or making work calls. Most are playing Paper Toss or checking in with Foursquare. We even see those jealous Verizon customers with their Droids as they secretly wait for their carrier to pick up the iPhone.

Smart phones are the way technology is pointing with their layers of functionality and ever increasing capabilities. That’s why it wasn’t a surprise Thursday morning when the Wall Street Journal reported that Sony would be entering the smart phone arena. Of special interest to this particular item though is that it will be “capable of downloading and playing PlayStation games”, possibly referring to PlayStation One titles specifically.

Reported as a device that “blurs distinctions among a netbook, an e-reader and a PlayStation Portable,” they are already expecting a 2010 launch. It is possible that Sony may make a big announcement regarding this phone next week during the Games Developers Conference.

With ever declining PSP sales and the lackluster response to the PSP Go, one would think the portable device market was in trouble. Nintendo has shown with the DS and the record breaking game sales of Plants vs. Zombies on the iPhone have shown that this isn’t the case however and that Sony is just searching for its niche still.

Dead Space came out in late 2008 to both critical adulation and strong sales. There was no doubt a sequel would be in the works for this third person horror shooter. But how do you keep a story going where the player is the sole survivor of his infested ship?

Nintendo Wii took the path of a on-rail shooter prequel Dead Space: Extraction. Though a critical darling, sales were dismal. Now, Dead Space 2 readies itself for store shelves with the next chapter of Issac Clark’s survival. As with most sequels, Issac is expected to encounter a host of new baddies.

EA has taken an interesting path in revealing these new “necromorphs.” For more than a week, a zoomed in image has slowly been revealed over the game’s Facebook page. Now, finally fully revealed, we have been given a glimpse at a delightful fellow named “the puker”.

Possibly a lovechild of an original Dead Space necromorph and the Boomer from Left 4 Dead, the Puker already looks like a villain we are not looking forward to running into in the cramped hallways of a barge floating through space. But as long as he doesn’t send the Horde after us, we think we will be able to manage. T

ake a look after the break and let us know what you think. Dead Space 2 is expected to ship in the first quarter of 2011.

Continue Reading →

Since video games came into being, setting records or being the first to hit a huge accomplishment has driven repeated plays of even the simplest titles. From the high score on Galaga to reaching the kill screen in Donkey Kong, gamers set goals for themselves no matter how time consuming to achieve.

Just like a real game of baseball, gamers have been given the goal in Major League Baseball 2K10 to pitch a perfect game. Not out of the realm of possibilities but certainly not easy to come by. To reward the first individual to throw a perfect game, 2K Games is offering a $1,000,000 prize.

On sale today, the first player to hit a verified perfect game on either the XBox 360 or PlayStation 3 will be eligible for this prize. Also on sale for the Wii, Nintendo DS, PC, PSP and PlayStation 2, the two higher end systems were probably decided on because of their constant internet connectivity and tracking abilities (despite PlayStation 3’s rough week so far).

The feat must be accomplished in the game’s MLB Today mode and the player must select the “Major League Baseball 2K10 contest” . Ending May 1st, players are given two full months to video record the successful completion of a perfect game in which no opposing player reaches a base for any reason.

Continue Reading →

The guys at Square Enix have a big month coming up with the release of the long-awaited Final Fantasy XIII next week and announcements that three new add-ons are in the works for Final Fantasy XI. But also on the horizon is the beginning of beta testing for Final Fantasy XIV, their newest MMO.

According to 1Up.com, the first wave of beta invites for Final Fantasy XIV will be going out beginning March 11th to those who applied back in December. The beta will expand over time for those who aren’t initially invited. The beta will only be available on PC, at first, but the game is slated for release later this year so you won’t have to wait long to get your hands on the game for PS3.

Final Fantasy XIV takes place in the land of Eorzea, whose nations have banded together after constant war to stem the threat of the Garlean Empire. When the threat subsided, the resulting peace left many soldiers  without a job. As one of these soldiers, players will form guilds, becoming adventurers.

The game will be hitting the gaming shelves for PC and the PS3 this winter, and keep it here for more details as we get closer to it’s release.