If you’re a fan of the AMC drama or (preferably) the Robert Kirkman comics you’ll truly get the most out of Telltale’s The Walking Dead. While the game isn’t canonical, it does closely follow its source material and features many callbacks that fans will appreciate. You’ll still get the chance to meet the likes of Herschel and Glenn but several new characters are introduced throughout and there are several divergences which make for a better interactive experience. Seeing new takes on familiar characters is great and being able to interactive with them and witness their morbid desperation first-hand is genuinely exciting. On the other hand – If this is your introduction to the melancholic world of Walking Dead you’ll be pleased to hear that prior knowledge of the series isn’t essential. The game casts you as an entirely new character and the game’s fantastic script and great dialog will keep you captivated all the same!

Here you play as Lee Everett, a character shrouded in mystery whom you’ll eventually make your own. The game kicks off with Lee being carted off to jail for a murder that he may or may not have committed. However, before Lee makes it to the big house he finds himself in the midst of a zombie outbreak which conveniently allows him to escape. I won’t reveal much about the game’s story beyond this point but it’s entirely possible for you to forge some true-to-life relationships and development emotional attachments not often found in this medium.

As with many story-driven games, Walking Dead allows you to make choices that will affect the way others perceive you. The fact that Lee’s history is also unknown to you as a player adds an interesting element to way you interactive with others. If you believe that Lee is innocent of his previous charge then the best course of action may be to tell a few white lies here and there, however telling too many lies might diminish the trust that your fellow survivors have in you. To make thinks even more intense, characters will often remember the actions you take and the tidbits of information you choose to divulge, meaning something that you do or say in episode 1 could potentially help or hinder you in an upcoming episode.

As far as gameplay goes, The Walking Dead is undoubtedly Telltale’s most ambitious games to date. By giving you direct control over your character, presenting you dialog wheels and forcing you to partake in quick times events – this game feels like a generation above the developers previous titles. The Walking Dead is more “Heavy Rain” than “Sam & Max” and in this case, that’s a good thing!

The game is also surprisingly violent which may surprise some Telltale fans. Don’t let the cell-shaded visuals or comic book aesthetics fool you – this game is for mature audiences only!

As much as I like The Walking Dead so far, there was one moment during this first episode that felt completely contrived and temporarily broke the immersion for me. The game’s serious subject matter just doesn’t allow for any “collect these arbitrary items for me” subplots, especially when it’s handled this poorly. Other than that, A New Day is a promising start to what I believe will be an excellent series. All five episodes will be released in monthly intervals for $5 each on PSN and XBLA or you can purchase a season pass for the discounted price of $20.

We’ll have reviews of all subsequent episodes shortly after their release.

After playing the game for roughly an hour at Sony’s Hollywood press gathering, Mike Damiami and Patrick Morales from Gametrailers express their initial thoughts and drop some key details on the games unique fighting mechanics.

Both videos are extremely informative and are jam packed new details with gameplay footage. Enjoy!

Life Is Good is set to be released on July 17.

However in a statement released to VG24/7, Ubisoft stated;

“This video was intended as a purely internal demonstrative video, and in NO way represents the final game, the final console or their features.”

At this early stage its pointless to speculate on what features will or won’t make it in to the final version of the game but I’m sure many answers will be given at E3. The good news is; a Rayman Origins sequel exists and it looks absolutely stunning!

Digital games can be downloaded via the eShop or by purchasing codes from select retail locations. The first game to be released under this new regime is New Super Mario Bros. 2 which is due out in August.

As the title suggests, the game will pit a host of Playstation All-Stars in an arena-based fight to the death! Confirmed characters include Kratos, Radec from Killzone, Twisted Metal’s Sweet Tooth, PaRappa The Rapper, Fat Princess and Sly Cooper. If for some sadistic reason you’ve always wanted to see the God of War inflict pain on a comically overweight, food obsessed princess – this might be your one and only chance! Each character will have their own unique moves sets based on their respective attributes and three different levels of “super moves” although it’s not yet clear how this system will work.

One of the most exciting things about the game is the dynamic arenas which also merges different Playstation worlds together. During bouts Hades can wreak havoc against a Patapon backdrop and Buzz can invade the LittleBigPlanet universe to host an impromptu quiz while you’re trying to bash your opponents face in!

As expected, the game will support up to four characters (both locally and online) in a mixture of modes including single player, free for all, 2 vs. 2 and handicap matches. More characters from both first and third party games are said to be announced soon (E3?) and I suspect we’ll learn more and more about the game periodically right up until its fall 2012 release.

So for the hell of it I decided I’ll list off my personal top 10 SNES games (aka the games that “I” played the most as a child). Please note; as I was merely 1 of 4 kids, my parents would only ever buy us multiplayer games. Therefore I didn’t get the chance to play the likes of  Chrono Trigger, A Link To The Past and Super Metroid until much later. Although I recognize that all of those games are great, they just don’t hold the same place in my heart that the rest of the games on this list occupy.

So without further ado, here is my top 10 favourite SNES games….

10. NBA Jam

15 years ago, If you asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up my answer would have been “basketball player”.  Basketball and Gaming were my two main hobbies back then so naturally NBA Jam was like a dream come true for me. Even today many gamers consider it to be the greatest b-ball game ever made and I’d find it hard to argue otherwise.

09. Killer Instinct

Rare’s Killer Instinct was released on black cartridge! A BLACK CARTRIDGE!! I just had to get it!!! In an era where Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat were the only fighting franchises worth talking about, KI burst on to the scene with Ultra Combos, phenomenal music and a man made entirely out of flames! This was the coolest game around back in 1995.

08. Mortal Kombat 3

Having played MK 3 recently, I honest don’t know why I liked this game so much… but as a child MK was the shit! While the MK II vs MK 3 debate still rages on amongst fans, in my humble opinion I think Mortal Kombat 3 was the better game. The introduction of Kombos, Animalities and one button Fatalities blew my pre-pubescent mind! It’s just a shame it hasn’t aged all that well.

07. Rock ‘N Roll Racing

Before Blizzard made World Of Warcraft, they made games that were actually good… I kid! But on a serious note, Rock ‘N Roll Racing was damn awesome! 16-bit rock-n-roll tunes, great weapons and vehicles, mid-race commentary and a career mode were all things that made RnRR so special. I would ask for a sequel but….

06. Contra III

There were many “walk to the right, kill everything in sight” games on the SNES but Contra III (or Super Probotector as it was known in the UK) was my favourite of them all. Me and big sister would play this game with military precision in an attempt to finally beat the game on Hard… we never did. Fuck that Level 5 boss!!

05. Super Mario All-Stars

I almost didn’t put this game on the list as I generally associate Mario Bros. 1 – 3 with the NES not the SNES but there’s one key thing that makes the SNES versions vastly superior… save slots! Trying to complete Super Mario Bros. 3 in was sitting was a pain on the NES but in Super Mario All-Stars that wasn’t an issue. The ‘save anywhere’ feature changed my life and the updated visuals almost made each game feel brand new again. This has to be the greatest game compilation of all time.

04. Super Mario Kart

Of all the games on this list, Super Mario Kart was probably the one I played the most. This game kick-started my obsession with the Mario Kart series, an obsession that is still present 20 years and 7 games later. Super Mario Kart was just a joy to play. I had so much fun speeding around corners and blasting fools with well-timed green shells. Nothing beats the feeling of accomplishment you receive when that big fish blimp-thing drops a gold cup on your head while you pop champagne or throw up gang signs with your homies. Yea, Super Mario Kart was a hell of a game! And don’t even get me started on the Battle mode…

03. Donkey Kong Country 2

I honestly can’t say enough good things about the Donkey Kong Country series. All three games (the Wii one doesn’t count) were phenomenal and excelled in almost every department. The gameplay was fantastic, the graphics looked years beyond anything I had ever seen before and the music – oh my god the music was incredible! Just listen to this or this… or THIS! I’m almost in tears right now.

Overall DKC 2 was my favourite game in the trilogy. It had the best levels and characters (sorry Donkey and Kiddy) and I spent more time with it than the two other games combined. Damn, I need to play this game right now!

02. Street Fighter II Turbo

As I implied earlier, Street Fighter II was the first game I got with my SNES and I believe it’s the reason why I love videogames as much as I do right now. Of the three Street Fighter II games that were released on the SNES (World Warrior, Turbo and New Challengers), Turbo was the closest one to perfection. World Warrior was extremely slow compared to the other games and New Challengers was ruined by inclusion of T-Hawk and DeeJay, fuck those guys! While the video above may make you want to kill yourself, I can assure you that Street Fighter II Turbo was actually a masterpiece.

01. Pitfighter

Who wouldn’t want to… no, sorry, I can’t even pretend…

Super Mario World

Dear Super Mario World, A winner is you!

To my surprise, despite having downloaded dozens of apps, my iTunes receipt for the past 4 months clocked in at just over £35. To put things in to perspective, a console game in the UK generally retails for £40 and top tier Vita games cost up to £35. Sure, many of the iOS games I bought were on sale at the time but that’s one of the best things about the app store, there’s always a bargain to be had.

This got me thinking – is the iPad really the future of videogames?

Now I know what you’re thinking; “STFU Carl, Angry Birds can’t compete with Skyrim!” and yes, you’re right. The iPad will probably never have a game that scratches my gaming itch like God Of War or Zelda does but why would I drop 40 big ones on a B-level game like Namco’s “Inversion” when I can buy 40 or so iPad games for the same price?

This is a problem that Playstation Vita (and to a lesser extent, the 3DS) are currently facing. Up until a few days ago when Sony sent me Resistance: Burning Skies, my Vita sat next to my PSPgo collecting dust. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love my Vita but if Sony wants me to take it to work with me instead of my iPad they should be flooding the PSN with affordable, bite-sized content and no – Mini’s aren’t good enough! Why aren’t iOS games like Tiny Wings and Bike Baron on the Vita with trophies and online leaderboards? Why is a crappy barebones version of Angry Birds £2.99 on PSN while the fully featured iPhone game is being sold for 69p? It’s madness!

I understand why Sony is cautious. If great games were available on the Vita for a dollar it’d be extra hard for games like Modnation Racers to justify their $40 price tags. But with that said, if Modnation Racers was being sold for $4.99 instead of 40 bucks maybe it would have sold 10x the amount of copies. I also think a full priced God Of War game can sit alongside the likes of Cut The Rope on the Playstation Vita store, if that happens the Vita could truly provide the best of both worlds.

Sony appear to be talking a step in this direction with games such as Escape Plan and Motorstorm RC but they need to start making leaps if they want me to stop giving Apple my money.

Just a thought…

But why am I not excited? probably because the game looks exactly like the original NSMB which was released six years ago and already feels old at this point. The screenshot above indicates that Nintendo will incorporate elements from Super Mario Bros. 3 in to the game but in my opinion they haven’t gone far enough.

With the recent revelation that Nintendo has registered a domain name for Super Mario 4 and are already hard at work on a new Mario title for the Wii-U, here’s to hoping that they’ll have something more exciting to show at E3.

Gary:

When the rumours of a new God of War game started to circulate, my initial thought was “Why couldn’t they just leave this series alone for a while.” But after realising that Ascension is set before the first game I feel like there are many areas they can explore.

I would love to learn more about the life Kratos lead before he promised to serve Ares. I would like to know the kind of person Kratos was when he was just the captain of the Spartan army. There is a lot of criticism about Kratos’s character, specifically because of the fact that he hates and kills everything. This game could possibly show us a side of Kratos that we didn’t see before.

Richard:

In my opinion, God Of War: Ascension could very well be the best game in the series. Given that a great deal of Greek mythology centers around tragedy, I’m very curious to see what transformed Kratos into the murderous character he is today. My best guess is that the events showcased will coincide with the brutal executions in which he takes out on his opponents. If this is exactly what they are going for, then I believe this entry will allow the series to come full circle and give fans a definitive, yet satisfying ending.

Carl:

After five very similar games I was ready to put the God Of War series behind me. God Of War III saw Kratos receive a fitting end and Ghost Of Sparta did a great job redeeming him as a character. But given their financial woes, it was inevitable that Sony would return to the God Of War well before long.

When rumors about “God Of War IV’s” existence began to circulate there was a lot of talk about the game being multiplayer focused but thankfully that doesn’t appear to be the case. We still don’t know exactly what Ascension will be but the trailer suggests that we’ll finally get a chance to meet the man behind the rage which has me VERY intrigued!

I’m also hoping that Ascension will introduce all-new gameplay mechanics and put an end to the game’s formulaic and predictable structure. I’m tired of collecting Goron Eyes and Phoenix Feathers, I no longer want to tap “square, square, triangle” until everyone in the room is dead and I hope to fight enemies who don’t fight like this is the first time they’ve ever engaged in combat. Of course if the developers at San Monica make too many changes they’ll risk losing the series’ identity but I’d prefer to see them try and fail rather than give us God Of War 3.5.

David:

A new God of War game? I guess there is room for a prequel, and it could very well be an interesting story to experience, but from a gameplay standpoint I have my doubts. The teaser showed zero gameplay footage, of course, but given the history of the series, I have no reason to believe anything revolutionary is going to happen. This is especially true since it is being released on the PS3, instead of being tucked away for the PS4. After playing more recent action games, and especially after playing Darksiders and seeing all of the details about Darksiders 2, it seems like this genre is changing. Instead of relying on repetitive gameplay mechanics, God of War would need to step it up and change its structure to get my interest. Sure, Ascension is going to sell like crazy because people love God of War, they love violence, they love action. And the story of Kratos’ redemption is one of the most intriguing and interesting stories in gaming today. But, until I see something to prove my doubts wrong, I am not going to get excited for another game in a series that has made little innovative progress in the gameplay department over the course of five games.

Agree with us? disagree with us? let your feelings be known via the comments below.

I’m not sure that a fast and frantic fighting game will work well on touch screen devices but for the right price I’d be willing to find out. Marvel vs. Capcom 2 will hit Apple’s App Store on April 25, 2012.

This is one of the most  exciting trailers I’ve seen in a long while so make sure you bump it up to 720p and play at full screen. Dishonored is scheduled to be released later this year on the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

For more information check out Dishonored.com

Not one to let a little thing life death stop him, Pac rapped alongside fellow vets Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre performing hits such as “Hail Mary” and “2 Of Americaz Most Wanted”. Rumors suggest that this new (slightly see-through) 2pac may be going on tour sometime soon where hopefully he’ll share a stage with Notorious B.I.G. and/or Nate Dogg.

*Note: The 2pac depicted in the above video may or may not be a hologram, I’m waiting on official verification from Captain Kirk.

Sure, he exploited a few bugs during the process (quite literally at one point) but there’s no denying that ZeldaFreakGlitcha is an extremely talented individual. He also took time out to address a few questions regarding the speed run but I’d advise you to watch the video first before reading his explanations.

Q: Why is this on the Japanese version?
A: The text is much faster. Other than that, it’s the exact same as any other version.

Q: Is this legit?
A: Yes, everything I do here can be done on any regular console with no cheats or modifications at all.

Q: Why do you need the bottle?
A: To activate the ocarina items glitch on the edge of the blue warp which allowed me to move during the cutscene so I could get to the door.

Q: How does that warp glitch work?
A: The game is trying to load the value for the kokiri emerald cutscene and the main deku tree area at the same time, so it sends you to a new room value which happens to be a room in the escape.

Q: How did you die to gohma? Was it on purpose?
A: I got hit at the same time I killed her which also killed me. It was on purpose, I needed to return to the room with the stone wall blocking the door gone.

Q: What’s up with the deku sticks?
A: They are actually as powerful as the master sword, so they’re a great weapon for this.

Q: How did you figure this out? Was it on accident?
A: First of all, I did not find this, it was found by r0bd0g and sockfolder.

It was found by examining older glitches and trying to do it with a different method. The warp itself was possible with farore’s wind on B as adult, but took too long to do that so no one really cared. Then the idea of using the door instead of farore’s wind was proposed, it was tested, and it worked.

Street Fighter x Tekken will be released on the Vita this Autumn.