Assassin's Creed III main character confirmed??????

this picture, which was from Best Buy's internal employee and sent to Kotaku, was leaked on the web:

 A Native American-esque Assassin from the American Revolution? M I N D - B L O W N !!! While not exactly what Geoff had in mind (which was steam punk england involving Jack the ripper and stuff like that). It is still great to see the series take a huge leap in a new world other then the same Middle-eastern stuff. Until next time...

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 have American release dates!

Wow, usually when games are announced you have to wait a year or longer. When the game was first announced they said it would hit Japan this summer, then they announced that it would be released in Europe in the fall. But now it was said that it will also come out in America in fall also! Which means we can expect this game to come out somewhere between August and October :)

Also, it was revealed that these games would actually be "true sequels" to the original Black and White games, unlike any other game in the main series has done before.

Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 announced! / new pokemon?

Game Freak's Junichi Masuda revealed the "third entry" into the Pokemon 5th generation franchise, which actually ended up being "third and fourth entries".

Pokemon Black 2

and

Pokemon White 2


Instead of going in the direction most assumed with Pokemon Gray, Masuda announced Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2. Another surprising part of the announcement is that the games will be releasing for DS, as opposed to the 3DS. Next week Masuda teased that he would reveal the names of the legendary Pokemon that will be featured in the games.

Pokemon Black And White 2 will be releasing in Japan in June. No word on the stateside release, or even a true confirmation that they will come out here, but it's a pretty safe bet that we will see localized versions shortly after they release in Japan.

Here are the first teaser images of the new games:

These are supposedly two of the many legendaries to be in Black and White 2. But dont they look very very similar to Reshiram and Zekrom??? Here's some possibilities:

- Perhaps now legendaries can finally evolve?

- perhaps they just happen to look like Reshiram and Zekrom, and are actually new?

-and then there's this:

And this:

Kyurem, the Ice Dragon Pokemon, was originally meant to be one the rumored Gray version, which was not to be. So is it possible that this is Kyurem's way to make it onto the cover? Could Pokemon be actually doing something new? Can Pokemon now MORPH???!!!??!!?!

What are your thoughts?

the Amazing Spider-man game gets a new trailer, and will be out in June

Let's be honest, many movie based games tend to suck. But the past three spider-man movie based games have proven to be somewhat excellent (the second one in particular). And now there will be a fourth movie game. And what better way to get people interested than to show off one of Spider-man's most unique villains? Three cheers for Rhino!!!



They actually made him more mutant like then having him be just a buff man in a rhino costume. So far only Rhino and the Lizard (obviously) are confirmed as villains in the game. And like all other Spider-man games, this will be open world.

P.s. did anyone notice funny boss fight resemblence in there with Rhino being in the electrical room? *cough*Batman:arkhamcity*cough*

Mass Effect 3 will have reversable covers!

Many fans accurately play as the male Shepard, but others prefer to play the female Shepard. Bioware has given us an exclusive treat today for they revealed that the cover can be reversable to show either male or female Shepard! Here's the reveal video:

the Last Story confirmed for North America / Xenoblade gets an Official release date

the Last Story, which is Mistwalker's foreign Wii RPG, will finally get a release in North America, we know Geoff will be very excited about this, and It will be released sometime in the summer of this year. Also, it has been official that Xenoblade, which was revealed to come to North America months ago, will be released in April. Today is just a very lucky day for Geoff...

Chainsaw Lollipop: most screwed up game in history

Where can you find cheerleader zombie slayers, a two headed bear zombie, and a decapitated boyfriend? That's right, you can find all those and more in the soon-to-be released game called Lollipop Chainsaw. We don't mean to be racist, but we swear those Asians are drinking too much of the Mercury in their water supply to come up with such a messed up game as this. Here is the newest trailer: (the trailer is in japanese and is absolutely weird as #$%*)

the PSVITA is officially out!

the Vita is now available for everyone! be sure to get yours whenever you can! remember, there's the standard version ($200) the Wi-Fi version ($250) and the Wi-Fi 3G version ($300) plus all the Vita games will be around 40 to 50 bucks, maybe 30 if your lucky. As well as memory cards (4gb=$20, 8gb=$40, 20gb=$60, 32gb=$100) so it will destroy your wallet.

PSVITA game cases, the small game cases

The Vita come out in just two days, and already most of the Vita games are hitting shelves at the local gaming store or market. Ever wondered what a Vita game case looks like and what the game cartridge looks like?

Case: It's great to see a new look to a case, every gaming console case has a specific look to them (PS3=clear Blu-ray cases with red greatest hits cases, 360=green DVD cases with gray/silver platinum hits cases, Wii=white DVD cases with occasional colored cases for special events, DS=small square-ish cases with a unique aspect, PSP=small and tall and skinny clear cases). We know for a fact that many many people dig the royal blue color to it.
Cartridge: They went with what the Nintendo DS originally invented, the idea of using little "cards" that can hold the whole game plus future downloads for that game. Sony still however managed to give these little "cards" a somewhat new look to them (the Vita logo and curved top).


Now what about size comparison's? how small is the cases for the Vita? Have a look:

Compared to the DS case, it is basically the same height (perhaps a centimeter bit taller) and it is not as wide as the DS case which is known for it's wideness.

The PSP case will easily be taller, especially after the DS comparison, but it's not as wide as the Vita case.

Compared to a PS3 case, the PS3 Blu-ray case is about 2 inches taller, maybe more, and a bit wider.

Compared to 360 and Wii cases (both the same size), the DVD case is maybe 3 to 4 inches taller than the Vita. And much wider too.


So do you like this new case design?

Valve will make its own Hardware if they have to

It's not that Valve hates making games or anything, they're just opened to the possibility of creating their own Console, provided that such a thing is for the companies best interests.

"If we have to sell hardware we will," he said. "We have no reason to believe we’re any good at it, it’s more we think that we need to continue to have innovation and if the only way to get these kind of projects started is by us going and developing and selling the hardware directly then that’s what we’ll do.

"It’s definitely not the first thought that crosses our mind; we’d rather hardware people that are good at manufacturing and distributing hardware do that. We think it’s important enough that if that’s what we end up having to do then that’s what we end up having to do."

So would you buy a "Steamboy", and would a fourth competitor in the gaming world really be worth it?

Mass Effect 3 will "Take Earth Back"

Newest trailer for the third, and expected final, game in the Mass Effect franchise that will be released on the 360, PS3, and PC.





A extended version of the trailer will appear tomorrow, It'll be edited into this post when it does...

EDIT: extended version is now out, enjoy:

Assassin's Creed III confirmed for an October release this year

It was kind of expected that another Assassin's Creed game was going to come out this year (since it's now yearly like Call of Duty) but we weren't sure what kind of Assassin's Creed game to expect this year. Well, we officially know now. Ubisoft has confirmed that they are releasing the long anticipated third game as early as October this year. It may not be the last Assassin game but they said that it WILL end the story of Desmond. Apparently they have actually been working on this game, secretly, for the past three years. Other things such as new gimmicks and a new Assassin ancestor was not mentioned.

So does this excite everyone that they are finally making the third game? At least it's not another Ezio spin-off.

Video Game Figurines at New York convention

Has everyone ever heard of the Toy Fair showcase in Manhattan? It's a place held once a year where Nerds and Collectors can go to see Recent or upcoming Figurines that will be available to them in the coming months. Most of it is comic book stuff like spider-man and batman, but they now show video game fig's that can easily impress even the less die-hard video game player.

Here's what was seen: WARNING: figurines might spoil game stuff if you haven't played any of the games yet, you have been warned...





Batman Arkham City: they already had Arkham Asylum figurines from the last two years (which consisted of Batman, Joker, Scarface, Scarecrow, Harley Quinn, Bane, Poison Ivy, Zsazs, and Armored Batman) but they have introduced new figurines based on the new sequel game! These, like the Asylum figs, will be incredibly hard to find and collect. And more figs are expected to be revealed later on...

• Batman figurine
• Titan Joker figurine
• Killer Croc figurine
• Mr. Freeze figurine
• Hush figurine
• Catwoman figurine
• Mad Hatter Figurine
• the Riddler figurine
• the Penguin figurine
• Ras'al Ghul figurine
• Azrael figurine
• Hugo Strange figurine

Other figurines expected to appear are Deadshot, Clayface, and sick Joker but so far they have not made an appearance.

Mass Effect 3: We already know that these figurines will have free downloadable DLC packs (which Geoff is not entirely pleased about XD) but these were also shown at the convention, therefore i must write about these also.

• Commander Shepard figurine
• Commander Shepard (female) figurine
• Reaper figurine
• Cerberus figurine
• Liara T'Soni figurine
• Garrus Vakarian figurine

Others are expected to be announced, probably after the game hits the streets on March 6th.

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron: The game won't be out until the Fall, but a few of the figurines were shown at the convention, not all of them but the ones that will get people pumped up for the anticipated sequel. These will come out sometime around the games release.

• Optimus Prime w/ Alien Truck form figurine
• Shockwave w/ Alien Jet form figurine
• Jazz w/ Alien Speed Car form figurine
• Onslaught w/ Anti-Aircraft Truck form figurine (makes the body of Bruticus)
• Brawl w/ Alien Tank form figurine (makes left leg of Bruticus)
• Blast Off w/ Alien Ship form figurine (makes right arm of Bruticus)
• Vortex w/ Alien Chopper form figurine (makes left arm of Bruticus)
• Swindle w/ Alien Armored Truck form figurine (makes right leg of Bruticus)
• Bruticus (only made when combining the five figurines listed above)

Other figurines expect to appear are the Dinobots, Ironhide, Bumblebee, Megatron, and Starscream.

Ratchet and Clank: a Crack in Time and All 4 One: People have always wanted figurines of the legendary Playstation Duo. Now they can!

• Ratchet (a crack in time) figurine
• Clank (a crack in time) figurine
• Sigmund figurine
• Orvus figurine
• Azimuth figurine
• Ratchet (all 4 one) figurine
• Clank (all 4 one) figurine
• Captain Qwark figurine
• Dr. Nefarius figurine

These were also probably the only figurines available to small kids at the convention.

Halo 4: slowly and slowly, Halo 4 has become a big deal to many Xbox fans. and now people can get a chance to get the new and first Halo 4 figurine:

• Master Chief (Halo 4 look) figurine

This one figure has gotten high appeal by many.

While there was many other figurines shown like Killzone and Assassin's Creed figs, we can't list all the stuff shown at the New York convention. Be sure to find photos and reviews about the convention. Remember, figurines are for display purposes only, These might not be good for your toy collection lol.

Darksiders coming in june

Couple days old to be new news, but have you heard that Darksiders is now expected to come out in june? Many thought we'd have to wait till july, or even august! This news should brighten everyone's day.

Problem with the charging cable?

The PSVITA is still doing an outstanding job with winning the hearts of gamers in America, But there appears to be a new-ish problem with the Vita that happens to be very minor.

Many gamers have reported a problem with charging, their System will blink red and they'll plug it into the charger, but their system will mysteriously not charge, how is this possible?

Let's fix the problem beforehand, look at this picture below:

This is how to fix the problem, see how the Playstation logo faces forward? You have to make sure that it's always facing forward or else your system will not charge and you can possibly lose saved data! I can see how this can be somewhat of a pet-peeve to some people, but this is still very very minor of a problem that can be incredibly easy to fix. Just make sure the logo faces forward, and you shall be fine.

Twisted Metal Movie: It's gonna happen!

Turns out that the return of the legendary Playstation classic has brought out huge interests for a live-action film of the series to be legit, and rise up on the big screen!

According to a report from Deadline.com, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance co-director Brian Taylor has been asked to write and direct a live action film based off the classic car combat game. The report says the film will mimic the storyline from the game, with contestants battling it out in a tournament run by Calypso and the winner getting any wish granted.
The film reportedly includes characters Sweet Tooth and Doll Face so far.

Perhaps this film will be his next project after Ghost Rider, so does this excite anyone? or is everyone having second thoughts? Most video game based movies don't do so well (Prince of Persia and Doom for example) but considering they follow the exact storyline, and give it an appropriate rating, this movie is sure to achieve.

the PSVITA overall review: On Par with the 3DS

The new handheld system doesn't hit stores until next week on wednesday (or earlier for some lucky pre-order people at gamestop) and none of us here have a vita either, but reviews are already spreading like wildfire across the world wide web. And after reading many hundreds of reviews, we finally have an idea of just what to expect from this new device:

1. The Screen: the first thing anyone will notice is the new screen, which is now actually the biggest screen to appear on a handheld. Being a 5-inch 960x544 OLED screen it shows bright and colorful visuals that are better than the PSP and near-dang close to the PS3. The fact that it's in the same neighborhood of the console is amazing. There's also no hints of ghosting and tearing, and video playback works great too.
2. Design of the handheld: From what has been said, the system feels incredible in your hands. It's larger than any other handheld but not to the point that it's awkward. The buttons still all work great like that of the PS3 dualshock controller, and the D-pad still works great even with it's different structure. The dual control sticks is where the system dominates,these are incredibly responsive and make games very easy and fun to play. One downside is that the left and right control sticks are pretty close to the X button and bottom arrow of the D-pad which would only be a problem with fat-fingered people (like Tom :P).
3. Battery Life: We heard rumors that the battery life was just 2-3 hours long, but that's not the case! the battery life can last 4-5 hours, putting it on par with PSP but still not as long as the DS. Still, the system happens to beat the 3DS by offering longer continuous play and a longer sleep time even with a paused game in progress.
4. Touchscreen: the touchscreen works great like the DS and 3DS, but even this system can't escape the long-running issue with finger smudging. Thankfully it is as easy as other touchscreens to clean off. Some reports even say that the touchscreen works infinitely better than any of Apple's offerings! The touchscreen on the back works equally as good.
5. Camera: the camera now is just a gimmick for any handheld device. It's the same as the 3DS cameras.

Verdict: The Vita has proven to be an excellent new system that improves on everything that was of concern for the PSP. As for whether to buy a Vita or a 3DS, it's up to you. Both are equally impressive and on par, with only slight gimmick differences (3DS - the 3D, Vita - Rear Touchscreen). And while some things may make the other seem fair (like 3DS being cheaper in price, or Vita already having all accessories that you would normally buy separately) the fact still stands: Both have proven to be outstanding. Those who have a PS3 may want a 3DS, and those who don't own a PS3 may want the Vita, or perhaps if your a rich fool you'll want both. We don't really have a favorite between to two, comparing them is nonsense, in the end it's whatever is in your best interests. Be sure to hear Shrew's review of the 3DS in the Podcasts to learn more about that particular device (i believe he reviews it in episode 2, but i'm not sure).

The Last Guardian is STILL going to happen, But how long will we have to wait now?

Last Guardian is to be the third game in the Ico team trilogy. But people have been literally waiting years for it to come out. But news has confirmed us to still expect the game to eventually come out:

In an interview with 1up, Yoshida said "The project has been making progress, but slow progress. So that's tough, but we haven't changed any focus. It's still a really important project and a vision we want to see realized, and Fumito's vision is really causing a very difficult challenge for the developers, so there's some scrapping and rebuilding -- iteration in the process. That's why [it's taking so long]."

At this point, the game might be released on the PS4! But here's to hoping that it'll come out as soon as possible.

Celebrate Valentine's Day by shooting Sweet Tooth's truck FOR REAL!!!

With Twisted Metal only four days away, David Jaffe has thought of a way for everyone to get their car shooting fix even without a PS3. By signing up on this site, you get to shoot a fully automatic gun at Sweet Tooth's ice cream truck from the comfort of your own home. Here's a video explaining the whole deal.

Saber Interactive CEO says blocking used games unfair, becomes Geoff's personal hero

Recently, there was an interview on CVG with Saber Interactive's CEO Matthew Karch where he said blocking the consumer from used games would be unfair. Here's what he has to say about the whole thing.

"I don't think we should prevent people from playing used games. I understand why they would want to do it, but I think the approach should be different.

"As long as games are distributed on physical medium as physical goods, players should have the right to buy and sell them.

"$60 is a lot to pay for a game and if a player buys a dud and is stuck with it, then that's just not fair to force him to keep it. If people buy Inversion and it's not for them, then why should they be forced to turn it into a drink coaster?

"Publishers feel that reviewers have too much control now and if games can't be traded then reviews will become gospel. This doesn't serve any one's interest.

"For me the approach is to bring the cost of games down and to sell them as digital content where they can't be bought and sold. If someone pays $15 for a game, then it's less painful if they need to keep it.

"If people buy Inversion and its not for them, then why should they be forced to turn it into a drink coaster? Last time I spoke about this, some people misconstrued my comments to imply that I didn't think that games should be 'full-length'. This isn't the way I feel about it.

"A $60 game has about $30 of waste in it in getting the game to retail. I really believe that with digital distribution you can get that same full-length experience for $30.

"With Inversion (or games like Battlefield or Gears), for example, you could break that experience into two components - single-player and multiplayer - and sell them for $15 each or sell them combined for $30. If someone spends $15, then the trade-in value would be minimal anyway even if it were permissible.

"I think that's the way to go - lower the costs for the same access by bringing them to market digitally. Then a no-used solution is fair."

This whole quote is just a breath of fresh air. With so many publishers going to the online pass deal, it surprises me that they haven't thought of a way other than that to make money off used games. Sure there's DLC that they release, but a majority of that is just weapon packs and horse armor these days.

This is the type of pricing I've been waiting for. Too long has it been that we've had to pay $60 every time we want to help out our favorite developers. There needs to be some type of change. If they were to release the single-player and multi-player components separately for much cheaper, these people could be making a hell of a lot more money, especially with so many games coming out in a lot of the same genres.

So, with that said, I thank you Matthew Karch. You are now my personal hero.

Matthew Karch is CEO of Saber Interactive. Their new game, Inversion, will be coming out later this year.

Sony is having issues with Credit and Debt ratings, they might get screwed

Sony has been in Financial Trouble, they reported a Two Billion Dollar loss last quarter and a stupid S&P report by Reuters expects things to get a lot worse for Sony in the forseeable future:

"We base the downgrade on our view that severe circumstances in Sony's mainstay electronics businesses make a strong recovery in earnings unlikely. We base the negative outlook on the long-term corporate credit rating on our expectation that we could lower the ratings further if we see no meaningful sign of recovery in Sony's earnings within six to 12 months," continues the S&P report.

S&P notes that Sony's television sector in particular hasn't made any money since March of 2005. "Standard & Poor's believes the major reason for the extended losses is Sony's strategy to aggressively expand its global market share despite strong competition, a massive erosion of prices, and its high cost structure compared with overseas competitors," notes the report. "Massive pressure on the prices of Sony's key products, such as flat-panel TVs and mobile handsets, is likely to continue, and the company's position in the global market is under strong pressure amid severe competition from Korean manufacturers and emerging Chinese companies."

However, nothing has been said about how this will affect the Playstation aspect of the company leading us to believe that if Sony does get screwed it will only affect their television industry. Still, let's hope nothing bad happens to them and let us hope that they can still sell plenty of VITA's in the U.S.

Another Call of Duty in 2012, No surprise

Activision already gave us bad news about the next "skylanders" game, now they have meaninglessly revealed that another Call of Duty is coming out this year. But by now everyone should know that a call of duty game out EVERY year in November. But what kind of COD game will come out this year? We actually have three hints to what we might just get:

•  There has been huge rumors and hints towards the possibility of a Black Ops 2 coming out. While it's just still a rumor, It is a very strong rumor that could easily be confirmed in the next couple months or so.
• Sledgehammer (who helped Activision and Infinity Ward make MW3) has been hiring new people to help make a "new cod project" and stating this to be an excellent opportunity for any new game developers. Their project could be the next game.
• Infinity Ward announced not too long ago that they were attempting to create "the next generation of Call of Duty", agreeing with us that Call of Duty has been stale due to being the same in gameplay and graphics very year and being released every year. This possibility, as of now, sounds very unlikely but it's still a possibility.

So what kind of cod game do you think we'll get this November?

Aliens: Colonial Marines cover art revealed

Don't worry, no delay again it'll still come out sometime this Fall. But here's what the cover art will look like for the PS3, 360, and PC:

So what does everyone think? Is this good cover art for the game?

psst, Gotham City Imposters came out today!

Will you be buying and playing this epic 6 vs 6 multiplayer extravaganza?

Damn, another skylanders is coming in fall 2012

We thought that the first Skylanders was the cheapest game of 2011, sure kids love it but it's nothing more than a useless game thats needs expensive toys to do random stuff to achieve no success. However, Activision did promise us that, if Skylanders was to do good, we would get a fan-worthy Spyro game just for Spyro. good news: Skylanders did do good, bad news: no new Spyro. Instead, a sequel to Skylanders is coming out in fall called: : "Sklanders Giants". Which means that we'll be losing more money just to keep up with the Skylanders story (which there really isn't one) and giant = expensive which equals sad wallet :(. come on Activision, really!?

Anyways, here is the horrid announcement trailer:

What do you want in the new Consoles???

Everyone has their ideas of what and what not to have in the next generation of consoles. even though we at GeekBeerz believe we don't need new consoles, here are some major problems that we think should be fixed in the next "gen of cons":

PS3:

• no YLOD (yellow light of death)
• no mind destroying long loads for certain games
• the ability to change online names when necessary 
• the ability to organize and better keep track of trophies
• give us the full power of what blu-ray games can offer, for the PS3 some do but others do not
• please allow us to not lose anything that we bought using playstation plus

Xbox 360:

• no red ring of death
• allow xbox live to be free like the PSN, don't steal our money
• switch to using actual money of make the microsoft points infinitely better
• please use an engine equal to or better than a pc
• fix the D-pad on the controller, a few still find it bothersome when playing arcade games
• while it doesn't quite matter, some believe that xbox should start using a blu-ray function

 Wii:

• no cheap-a$$ games
• learn how to lower prices on old games
• fully expound on the motion control functionality instead of continuous gimmicks
• switch to using HD like the other two leading consoles
• don't let the gimmicks of the Wii ruin classics such as Mario and Zelda
• create a faster way to improve calibration, some find it an annoying process

PSN is about to become SEN pretty soon

It turns out that PSN (the PlayStation Network) will soon become known as SEN (Sony Entertainment Network).

According to an e-mail being sent out to PlayStation Network users, the change is being put into effect to, "get closer to [Sony's] goal of establishing a global comprehensive network platform of services across games, movies, music and more, all accessible from one convenient account."

It isn't a real big deal, the functions and shop will all stay the same, it's simply just a name change to make things a bit more "cooperative". I wonder if it'll also still be just as easy to hack XD.

Could one of us possibly buy a PSVITA and review it?

It's incredibly pricey, especially for a handheld, but Nobody thought any of us would actually get a 3DS and member Alex Sherman did. So is it possible for any of the four of us to actually buy one? What's the point of this Post???

GBP 8 - Do Not Insert Into Ear

Geoff, Shrew, and Tom gather around the table to talk about how much they love games and stuff.

Game Impressions

Geoff: Castlevania: Harmony of Dispair, Epic Mickey, Final Fantasy III, Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy Tactics, Just Dance 2, Left 4 Dead, Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning, Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Silent Ponyville, Sonic 4 Episode 1, Quake Wars: Enemy Territory, Vanquish
Shrew: Castlevania: Harmony of Despair, Chrono Trigger, Dragon Age 2, Faery: Legends of Avalon, Fat Princess, Final Fantasy XIII, Halo: Reach, Left 4 Dead, Lost Odyssey, Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm 2, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Soul Calibur IV, Tekken 6
Tom: Mario Kart 7, Nyan Cat Adventure, Shadow of the Colossus, Spyro: Skylanders, Star Wars: Old Republic, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception

Songs came from Shadow of the Colossus

Revived Power
A Messenger From Behind
Demise of the Ritual

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know by emailing us at geekbeerztag@gmail.com

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