By now I’m sure you’ve all read our review of Mega Man 9, right? Well, what I didn’t mention at the time is that there is some downloadable content for the game that is now available on your virtual gaming service of choice. While some are just difficulty upgrades (right, as if we wanted it to be harder than it already is), there is one that stands out not only for its challenge, but for its protagonist.

He’s so badass he doesn’t care to look at you.

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For a game just barely two weeks past its release date, Blitz II sure seems like it’s not getting much respect. Whether or not it deserved that respect, I have no idea. 1up gave it a B, while it earned a measly 5.5 score on IGN.

Compounding that now is the fact that the game, which initially retailed for $60 like most new releases, has gone to $50 on BestBuy.com, and $40 in Walmart stores. Two weeks past release date! Twilight Princess, Halo 3, and Heavenly Sword (granted, much better and different games) are all still at their highest price points ($50, $60, and $60 respectively), with TP and HS being out nearly two years!

So, from my considerably nonsensical and uninformed point of view, I would recommend that you steer clear of Blitz II. But if anyone has info to the contrary, or just a comment about the game in general, please drop us a line!

Following in Max’s ever capable footsteps, I’m here this morning to bring you some more initial thoughts, only this time it’s on a demo, and not some silly RPG (haha, sorry, had to).

As you well know by now, the Tomb Raider: Underworld demo hit Xbox Live yesterday (even though it’s been on the PC for a while now), and after waiting for…ev…er… for it to download (1.3 gigs!) I finally got to take Lara out for a stroll.

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Being a big fan of the Fable franchise, I’ve been hungrily rummaging through Fable II over the past couple of days. And since I know how important it is to write down first impressions (which might get completely blown away later in the game), I thought I might just do it here on the GL Blog as opposed to writing it down on some obscure piece of scrap paper that I will then have to ritually eat after I write the full review. So you get first impressions early and I get better digestion. Everybody wins.

Anyway, the game, unsurprisingly, looks and feels very much like its predecessor. Although hundreds of years have passed since the close of the previous chapter, the towns, people, dress fashions, etc. don’t really look too different (improved graphics notwithstanding), which is actually a bit of a disappointment. Although on one hand it makes for great continuity with the first game, being an all new game it would have been nice to see a little more evolution in the visuals, especially since the story arc definitely allows for it.

The gameplay (so far), also feels very similar, which, again, is not a bad thing, since the original system worked quite well. Although the interface has changed somewhat in Fable II, combat still works essentially the same way. The biggest new addition is your pet dog, which provides for some nice companionship on those lonely late night runs across the land, and also helps a bunch with sniffing out hidden goodies - no more missing that treasure chest because it is so perfectly blended in with the surrounding bushes. So far the dog doesn’t feel like he is pulling a lot of weight in battle, though - hopefully that will change with some further training.

The promised amazing story is still very much unfolding, so I am not yet in a position to properly compare it to that of the first game. Peter Molyneux hyped this aspect especially hard, it seems, and I am still waiting for some amazing twists and turns.

That’s all so far (well, almost - there are a few other bits I’d like to keep close to the chest for now - hang on for the full review in the next week or so.

For those of you out there who have been following my lust for the new Tomb Raider: Underworld (okay, all 3 of you, whatever), I hope you’ll be as excited as I am that the game’s demo will be available for download on Xbox Live this coming Tuesday, October 28, as noted on Eidos’ official Tomb Raider website. Plus, it gives me another excuse to grace you with more pics of our lovely heroine.

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Ever since it was announced that Darth Vader and Yoda were going to be console-specific for Soul Calibur IV, fanboys and girls across the galaxy have been bitching and moaning about not getting their favorite character just because mommy and daddy spent $400 on the wrong system. Well, for just a few bucks more, all that frustration can come to an end, because Namco Bandai has announced that, on Thursday, October 23, for 400 MS Points or $4.99 real money on the Playstation store, you can download Darth Vader (on the 360) or Yoda (on the PS3) to join your fighting crew.

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An open letter to Nintendo, those who make Nintendo Wii games, and those who review Nintendo Wii games:

Intuitive adj.: definition - instinctive
SYNONYMS: automatic, direct, emotional, habitual, immediate, inherent, innate, instinctual, involuntary, natural, perceptive, spontaneous, understood, unreflecting, untaught, visceral

Antonyms: calculated, meditated, reasoned, taught

To members of the parties listed above, please please please start using different words! Make up some words if you have to - it’s funtacular! (See, I just did it there.)

Thank you.

Your (still) humble servant consumer,

Darthziggy

(Thanks to Thesaurus.com for the assistance.)

Well, you’ve read Brad’s take on the beta for the upcoming Playstation 3 title Little Big Planet, but it’s looking like previews, screenshots, and trailers are all you’re going to be getting for at least a few more weeks.

The game’s release date - originally scheduled for this coming Tuesday, October 21 - has been pushed back one week to October 27, due to a controversy over the lyrics in one of the game’s licensed music tracks. The song apparently contains lines from the Quran, which led to some minor outrage on the part of at least one Muslim gamer. His attitude towards Sony was not a harsh one, and the company has responded in kind, saying they will recall all of the current versions and ship out new ones for the rescheduled release date, making sure that the song in question is removed prior the new release.

Head on over to 1up.com for more info and the official quote from Sony.

Recently, a beta key for a little game called Little Big Planet fell into our gnarled little hands. After the resulting tussle, five torn and scratched fingers reached out of the bloody mess of limbs and eyeballs and claimed the prize. The victorious digits belonged to Brad Hilderbrand, one of our most prolific, and therefore arguably most jaded editors and game reviewers. A few days later, as we sat in front of our computers licking our wounds, we the less lucky got a letter from Brad, the contents of which are quoted verbatum below.

LittleBigPlanet has melted my icy heart.

If you are a regular reader of this site (one of the six), then you’ll understand just how monumental that statement is. In a time when I firmly believe that most games being released are absolute shit, and at a juncture where originality and fun has given way to big explosions and shiny graphics, LBP has single-handedly restored by faith in video games. For reals.

How is this possible you ask? Well it’s quite simple really, LBP is one of the simplest games in the world, yet it’s also utterly brilliant in every way. Your characters (the incomparably adorable Sackboy or Sackgirl) can run, jump and grab, that’s it. There are no guns, there are no special moves, there aren’t even double jumps or sprint commands, it’s just gaming at its most basic. But these humble roots betray the true complexity of the game, which lies in the absolutely clever and ingenious level designs. Honestly, it’s not your Sackboy that is the star of this show; it’s the world he inhabits, which is mind-blowing.

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Yes, “awesomeness” is a word!

Anyway, the good folks over at MI6 have posted the latest trailer for the new James Bond game Quantum of Solace, which encompasses the events of the movie of the same name as well as its predecessor, the outstanding Casino Royale. This full-length tease showcases some of the gorgeous environments, excellent player models, and exciting multiplayer action that we can expect when the game arrives on November 4.

One of the quotes in the trailer calls the game the “Best Bond since Goldeneye.” That’s a lofty claim to live up to, but the crew at Activision looks like they’ve put a lot of work into the new title. And building off the superb Call of Duty 4 engine doesn’t hurt matters any.

Goldeneye is certainly in a league of its own, especially when it comes to multiplayer, but I happen to think that Everything or Nothing was a pretty good entry into the gaming series - almost a movie unto itself. Any thoughts from the rest of you?