My colleague knew I am a big fan of Warcraft Frozen Throne especially the DOTA map and as such, he told me about Demigod the game.

I haven’t looked much into the game but these are the things I read:

1. You would be able to choose a demigod, similar to hero in warcraft. Each demigod has their own powers.

2. The demigod can be equipped with weapons and items.

3. The demigod levels up on experience.

4. There are multiple arenas, similar to maps in DOTA

5. Real-time strategy action

6. Destroy strongholds to gain advantage and win

It seems that this is another version of Warcraft & Starcraft gameplay; and given that I like these kinds of games, I am looking forward on playing this in the future.

Image from DemiGodTheGame.

UFC Undisputed 2009 by THQ is probably the most complicated fight game I have ever played. If you think you can jump right in to it without using the tutorial, you-are-going-to-fail! Even with the tutorial it’s going to take a lot of getting used to.

UFC 2009 Undisputed

The problem that I may pose for reviewing a fighting game is that I don’t play that often. I just don’t have the time.

This passed long weekend I had a chance to finish the tutorial and start playing around. The graphics are great and the game play is fun, it’s just that if you’re not the avid gamer then getting used to the controls is going to take some time.

If you are looking to start in career mode and build your own fighter, your best bet is to play for while in exhibition mode and use different fighters before starting a career. Get used to the controls and the game functions, that way when you do start career mode you don’t start off with a crappy record like my already 0-2.

This game is a blast to play and as Dana White mentioned, it’s not for the average button masher. There is no way you can possibly win by just pressing random buttons and hoping you get lucky. You have to block, stick and move. Avoid getting gassed out and learn to flick the controller sticks instead of holding them while punching. There are so many things to memorize and even if you do have all the basic moves memorized, it’s a matter of executing them. The controls are very reactive if used properly.

The average, lazy button mashing player will get bored and frustrated with this game very quickly and will likely say that it sucks. I’m one of those casual gamers that when given the time, will play FPS games for hours. This is a whole new realm to me. If this is the first fighting game you’ve bought in some time, be patient, be precise and practice. It’s the only way you’re going to get the most out of this game.

I’m sure there are much more thorough reviews of this game out there, I’m just throwing my 2 hours of experience in.

Great game and very challenging. Definitly worth the money vs. time played factor.

If you thought there was nothing romantic about zombies, think again. Our heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determine to wipe out the zombies in Meryton in the book - Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, published by Quirk Books.

Jane Austen’s original text is infused with zombies’ action, bloody mayhem and of course, romance. Dump your Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead and other zombies-infested video games for a while to savor this funny-infested great literature in your bathroom.

$10.99 @ ThinkGeek.

Image: Quirk Books

I don’t like athletic video games.

Basketball, baseball, football, soccer, ping-pong…I don’t care what it is; I’m not going to play it. I did play Quarter Pole WAY back in the day on my Tandy but does that really count? I think not.

Now, my dislike for these games could very well be due to the fact that I suck at them am too busy doing other things but I can appreciate some awesome graphics.

So, I present you with the teaser for Major League Baseball 2k9.

Enjoy.

During that first year with my Nintendo Wii, I fell in love with the Cooking Mama: Cook Off game.  I was instantly drawn to it because I love to cook but also because I have met plenty of female cooks during my travels to Osaka who have referred to themselves as “mama.”  The food they served in their little restaurants rivals any I’ve had in any fine dining restaurant.

I wanted to be a “cooking mama” too so I bought the game.  Sure, I couldn’t understand half of what she said as I attempted to move from one recipe to another but I didn’t care – her incoherent Japanese accent was part of the charm.

I’ve had that game for a while now and I still haven’t made all of the recipes, nor have I mastered the ones I did complete (I can’t get past “Try Harder” for the popcorn, but I digress…).  Still, I wanted to try Cooking Mama: World Kitchen so I got it.

The first thing I noticed is that Cooking Mama’s accent has been toned down – a lot!  Sometimes, she doesn’t even sound like she has a Japanese accent but, instead, is suffering from some sort of language confusion.  I was disappointed by that but I let it go.  Before I get into the things that I disliked, I would like to focus on the positive.

I like that you can customize your character.  Actually, it’s nice to have a face at all since in the first Cooking Mama game, all we had were hands (if anything at all – sometimes the salt and pepper just shook themselves!).

Along the same grain, I like that you have to do small things like put your tray into the oven and close the door or put the lid on the blender while you are preparing food, much like you have to do in real life.

I also like some of the new things you have to do to make your meals like use a meat slicer (pictured at left).

I LOVE that you don’t have to be perfect to get a gold medal.  Instead of going on the number of points you have (and whether you got “Very Good” “Good” or “Try Harder”), it uses a percentage to determine how much of the recipe you did correctly.  If you get 90% or higher, you get your gold medal.  I think it’s more fair.  There have been times on the old game where I got “Very Good” on everything except for one step and I had to settle for a silver.  Not fair.

The recipes are good too.  I prefer the ones in the first game but it is nice to make drinks like fruit juice in this one.  Also, if you are doing something like making kebobs (pictured above), you actually have to go outside to a barbeque which makes it more realistic.

There are drawbacks, however.  Some are similar to those present in the first game (like unrealistic cooking techniques such as catching meat that is falling from the sky) but others are just unnecessary.  For example, if you make a club sandwich, you not only have to use a toaster that shoots the bread hit into the air (and you must catch it) but you’ve also got to catch the meat, tomatoes and other ingredients as they fall from mid-air.  As if that is not bad enough, you’ve got to keep the plate steady so that the sandwich doesn’t topple over.  If it does, Cooking Mama shows up and tries to rescue your sandwich.  If she succeeds (you’re controlling her), then you don’t lose any points which, really, is a good feature of the game.

Another thing that disappointed me was the format of the actual game.  The first problem is that the original one had the recipes laid out in a cook book.  It was organized, neater and was more relevant to cooking.  Now the recipes are just thrown together in no particular way and you can go from screen to screen to see all of them.

I also disliked how the “Let’s Cook” section of the game worked.  In the older version, two players could cook at the same time using a split-screen.  This doesn’t allow that.  You can do activities together in the Cooking Contest section but it’s just little things like making rice or chipping ice.  This was probably the most discouraging change.

Despite it’s shortcomings, Cooking Mama: World Kitchen is a fun game and is a bit more challenging and realistic than the first.  It’s perfect for the whole family too!

images: Nintendo.com

 After looking through the Bungie Studios website after my last post, I’ve just got to share some of these amazing screen shots from Halo 3.

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Photo Credit: Bungie Studios website

Do you know what September 25th is? You don’t? Then you’re probably not a huge Halo fan.

September 25th is the date that the next game in the Halo series, Halo 3, will be released to the public. Expectations are that records for entertainment sales will be shattered.

In a year when Hollywood is launching its biggest blockbusters ever, a video game is set to conquer them all. “Halo^® 3,” the final chapter in the groundbreaking “Halo” trilogy, is set to shatter day-one entertainment sales records when it is released worldwide beginning Tuesday, Sept. 25. Created by legendary developer Bungie Studios and exclusive to the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system, “Halo 3” will set a new standard for interactive storytelling and social gaming by engaging consumers worldwide in Master Chief’s epic battle to save humankind. “Halo 3” will be available to audiences around the world starting Sept. 25 and will release in Europe on Sept. 26.

“‘Halo 3’ is much more than a video game release; it’s the biggest entertainment event of the year,” said Peter Moore, corporate vice president of Microsoft’s Interactive Entertainment Business. “On Sept. 25, we intend to deliver a finale that will go down in entertainment history and leave people around the world with an experience that will be shared and enjoyed for years to come.”

That brings up the next question of course, which is: Will you be purchasing Halo 3 on September 25th? Let us know in our current poll.

Think Paul Thurrott is all business and no play? Well, think again. Paul, who provides great reviews and screenshots of a variety of Microsoft products, shares that same skill with Xbox 360.

Read some of these great reviews:

Xbox Live Arcade Wednesdays Review Updated
Call of Duty 3 for Xbox 360 Screenshot Gallery
Call of Duty 2 Bonus, Skirmish and Invasion Pack for Xbox 360 Review
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter for Xbox 360 Review
Tomb Raider Legend for Xbox 360 Review

As if I wasn’t already hankering for an upgrade to my Xbox, stuff like this just pushes me over the edge!

Be careful if you’ve received the Spring dashboard update for your 360 console. Don’t use the “Maintain Storage Devices” function unless prompted by Microsoft Technical Support. It wipes your HDD.

Source: Microsoft Advises Not to Use “Maintain Storage Devices” Function

Here’s a video of some of the development taking place in preparation for Halo 3. This video is just amazing of what the next version is going to bring to the table. This game will change gaming for the future and what’s deliverable through a gaming platform.

Between Father’s Day and birthday, there will be an Xbox 360 in my future!

Check it out!

Making of Halo 3 on YouTube via Digg.com