Even better, it comes with online multi-player! I'm geekin' out all over the place.

No love from GamePro: click for hatin'.

Further hate from 1up.com: click for the pain

Game Informer likes it though... 8.5 review.

I'm still buying it... or stealing it from Marc. I enjoyed the few minutes I've played.

Two EA titles graced my inbox this past Friday, SSX Blur and Def Jam: Icon. So this weekend I had a chance to hit the slopes and hit some wannabes.

SSX Blur: Sorry Doug, I'm trying to like this game. The graphics, for a Wii title,impress, the initial control scheme seemed tight. Then I started trying to pull off some Uber Tricks and some grabs and about threw my nunchuk and Wii Remote through the TV out of frustration. While it seems like a very easy and nifty little use of the Remote and Nunchuk combo, After playing for hours all weekend, I have still yet to successfully pull off the Two Uber tricks required to pass the games entry level tutorial or the 4 different grabs! It's not just me, even Doug twisted and turned his wrist like a pretzel and still couldn't stick them. Not sure what's up, but so far this alone is sucking the fun out of the game.

Def Jam: Icon: I hated the demo and wasn't looking foward to the title, but after spending an hour or so getting used to the Fight Night like controls, I was won over and was pummeling and "scratching" my opponents to a bloody pulp. Graphics have a very washed out, urban feel to them and the game itself is clearly a departure from the previous installment, but I can't wait to spend some more time with it tonight and produce some more mega hits from Luda and Ghost Face Killa. After all, dem my boyz now!

Full reviews coming up, stay tuned!!

Doug note: Don't tell me that! I want SSX to be great!

Fans of the series rejoice. Button mashers need not apply. enjoy this week's review.

"From a first-party point of view, it’s not just about E-rated games, it’s going to be about the experience that, quite frankly, Nintendo has done a tremendous job in capturing, in bringing back fun—if you will—to the gaming platforms." - Peter Moore, Feb. 22, 2007 interview with Game Informer

FROM: Peter Moore
TO: Xbox 360 game developers
RE: Pain

Hey guys!

I know all you developers are hard at work right now, but I just wanted to update everyone on our "turn our customers into sad, miserable bastards" strategy.

As you know, three years ago we adopted a platform-wide strategy to deliver the most boring, excruciating, nauseating and physically and psychologically painful software the world has ever seen. Extensive research indicated that a resentul customer was a loyal customer, and gamers in particular were gluttons for punishment.

Incessant hardware crashes were part of the first phase of that strategy, while well-crafted games like Bomberman: Act Zero ensured a software/hardware synergy of unmitigated torture. Strong stuff, team!

But while execution across the board has been nearly flawless -- CliffyB, baby, why you got to be so difficult? -- it seems we may have hit a snag.

Those loathsome vermin at Nintendo have stumbled onto a new theory. Call it bringing back fun, if you will. Which I won't! Cause Nintendo sucks! LOL! Am I right?! Anyway, it seems gamers like to have fun, the ungrateful little pukes.

While you know and I know that what most gamers really want is a steady stream of beatings and whippings, followed by some afternoon floggings and a good kick in the head, those namby-pamby treehuggers at Nintendo have decided to make games about petting puppies. Personally, I would have suggested a game where you kick puppies.

Anywho, since I know everyone wants to get back to work, let me sum up.

Old strategy: Iron boot to the face of the gamer.
New strategy: Same as the Old, but with a softer boot.

Thanks everyone! If you need me, I'll be down at the Ferrari dealership.

-Peter

First off, my final review of Crackdown. Yes, it's even more addictive than I originally thought. But the game world still feels a little empty. Here are some of the things I'd like to see the developers add via download:

*Jet packs - Once you max out your agility and driving skills, you could access a jet pack to take to the skies and fly through all the city streets and tunnels. Then the enemies would get jet packs, as well. And the bad guys would have floating airships they'd use as their base of operations. Parachuting would be cool, too.

*Water craft - Cigarette boats, mini-submarines, jet skiis, whatever. Scuba gear would be awesome, so that you could explore underwater bases, James Bond-style.

*Disguises - Dress up like a gang member, infiltrate their operations, and discover where their next major crime is going to be committed. Then you can either sabotage it or just toss off your disguise and start shooting. Perhaps you could sneak off, race back to the police tower to alert the troops, and then help spring the trap.

These are the sorts of wrinkles that the developers should have included in the original game, but it seems like they were so focused on mastering the basic gameplay that the rest of the game got neglected a bit.

And here's my weekly game column, about why Sony's decision to downgrade the backward compatibility on the European PS3 isn't a big deal. Sorry for the weird formatting on the column, though.

Sounds pretty cool, huh?

Unfathomably, instead of just adapting a classic game and upgrading the graphics to HD, EA saw fit to revamp the whole concept and will soon be unleashing this abomination.

It's next-gen Asteroids! Sigh.

Check this out: CLICK

'Forza Motorsport 2" for the 360 will have online auctions where gamers can buy and sell their in-game cars for virtual moo-lah.

THAT is exactly what I have been waiting for in a racing game... very cool indeed.

Looks like my weekend will be packed with some quality game time. First I'm putting back on my parka for some cold winter weather and hitting the slopes with EA's SSX Blur for the Wii. Then when I'm done playing in the powder, I'm going to take on some of raps heaviest hitters with my PS3 copy of Def Jam: Icon. I'll update you on Monday with my first impressions!

Doug note: (Sounds of Doug crying over 'SSX Blur')

This just in from Ubisoft....Mark your calendars. On Feb 26th, Ubisoft will release a mulitplayer demo on Xbox Live. It will only contain one map, "Outpost", but will allow up to 16 players to compete in in co-op and adversarial modes. Not to mention give players a sneak peek at what to expect in this highly anticipated sequel.

Here's the best part. Gamers who download the demo on February 26th will also have the incredible opportunity to be among a select group to challenge the developers to some multiplayer action. All you need to do is submit your gamertag, have a ubi.com account and some luck. Sweepstakes will determine the winners who will be invited to play with Red Storm on the Multiplayer Xbox 360 demo on February 28th, 8-10pm EST. To sign up click here. The registration will stay opened until Monday the 26th, 6pm and winners will be informed after this.

A game with classic arcade shoot'em up action and a next gen coat of polish. Check out this week's Texas Gamer review.

I can't express how nice it is to have the 30 minute time-restraint lifted. AHH! Freedom!

I was WAY happier with my first night with Crackdown than Victor seems to be. After spending about 4 hours with the game and finally turned it off when my eyes wouldn't stop watering (I think it's an allergy thing, I wasn't crying).

While the game-play does seem shallow, it's the ridiculous number of things you can do (to keep yourself entertained) that really has me hooked.

Here's a list of things that made me smile:
• Collected a nearly a hundred orbs to help me power-up (I love jumping from building to building)
• Stacked gas barrels in a busy intersection and waited for gang members to drive by... then set off a huge explosion.
• Set up a chain reaction of gas barrels in order to blow up a gas station with gang members perched on top.
• Selected several dozen cars to test their jumping ability from the top a parking garage... found the one that would make it through a near-by stunt-hoop... ran over about 300 gang members in the process.
• Explored the outer edges of the city... found out I can swim... found orbs hidden in a bridge... found a mansion surrounded by gang members... found a tow truck to run over the gangs and smash into the mansion
• Took out a few gang leaders.
• Car surfed.
• Opened a lot of armory locations.
• Threw wheelbarrows at traffic.
• Got on the cops' bad-side, then got on their good side.
• Realized that certain cars are only in certain parts of the city.
• The ramp truck is hilariously entertaining... launch you own cars or launch the cars that are following you.
• Downloaded four new agents (for free) from the marketplace.

Whew! I can't wait to start back up again.

The only complaint I had was that the demo allowed your agent to power up super-quick, it's a little frustrating for the process to take so long in the final game... but, I guess, it's also a little more rewarding.

'Crackdown' is absolutly the most fun I've had with a game since 'Gears of War.' I will let you know if that fun continues...

I've gotten in about an hour or so of playtime so far in Crackdown, and while I want to venture a little farther before rendering my final verdict, here are some early perceptions:

*Gameplay seems a little shallow, but thoroughly entertaining. There's an endless array of faceless goons for you to pummel and shoot, and while some are hardier than others, none of them really stand out. You also don't need much in the way of mental prowess to advance through this game. Run, jump, shoot, detonate.

*The graphics are awesome. Climb to the top of a bridge or building, and you'll spend at least a minute or two surveying the cityscape below. Then you'll leap off and plummet giddily to the ground or water.

*Orbs are your friend. To increase your agility, speed and jumping ability, you need to collect glowing green orbs scattered around town. I've spent more time so far scavenging for agility orbs than I have actually completing the missions, because Crackdown doesn't become awesome until you've ramped up your jumping abilities to superhero levels.

My final grade will run in the paper on Saturday. Right now, though, I'd have to say that while Crackdown is tremendously entertaining, it's not a terribly complex or absorbing game. The game I'd actually compare it to is Dead Rising, which lets you roam freely through a zombie-infested mall rather than through an entire city. But Dead Rising has a ton of different activities to perform, a coherent and entertaining (if B-movie) plot to keep you engaged, and actually requires some mental planning and problem solving in order to advance.

Maybe some more time with Crackdown will alter my opinion, though.

• Crackdown, Virtua Fighter 5 and NBA Street: Homecourt release today, expect no more work from me for at least a week.
• Xbox Live down and back up again today (click here)
• ABC News needs gamers' questions... quickly (click here)

Well, the inevitable has begun. Hardcore gamers are wondering if the Wii is wearing out its welcome. Has the controller gimmick lost its appeal?

Actually, I think most gamers are still thrilled with the Wii, and will be for a long time.

But only IF (this is a big if) Nintendo can increase the flow of games.

Before the Wii launched, it seemed like a lot of third party developers were reluctant to invest in the new console, since it wasn't clear what kind of reception the funky control scheme would get from gamers. When the demand for the Wii turned out to be thurmonuclear, I suspect that a lot of game makers were caught flatfooted and had to ramp up their Wii production from scratch.

So expect a rather severe drought over the next several months until the third-party developers are able to get their acts together.

In the meantime, Nintendo has to carry the load. Which is why it's a little disconcerting to see premium Nintendo titles like Metroid Prime 3 being quietly shuffled into next year.

The Virtual Console will only satisfy gamers for so long.

Doug note: Can everyone please start hatin' on the Wii a little more and get some stock back in stores. Maybe after that I can at least buy a couple of new Wii-motes? Then you can go back to lovin' the Wii.

A detailed rendering of my design suggestions.

Here's my column from this past weekend, looking at the features I'd include in the PSP 2 if Sony ever releases the thing and pays me six figures to design it.

I think the hard drive and the second analog control stick are paramount. Sony has staked its reputation on being the cutting-edge gaming company that delivers technology no one else has. Whether that strategy will prove profitable is anyone's guess, but to even have a chance at succeeding, Sony has to make sure all their gaming systems are technically perfect.

Of course, good games matter more than anything else. But you can't have good games -- or at least good games in the genres Sony cares about -- without refining the hardware they run on.

OK, I was keeping this to myself, but now it's happening to others.

Recently I received an automated phone call from GameStop asking me to trade in my copy of 'Gears or War.'

Not TOO creepy huh?

An automated system that's tracking my past purchases and harassing me about them?!?!

This just adds further fire to my dislike for the pre-order/trade-in irritation that seems to be norm at today's game stores.

Then I ran across THIS, and I realize I'm not alone.

Sigh.

It's for the Wii, it looks awesome and I personally like the "heart-shaped" trick move (and now I'm thinking about getting a finger tattoo)...

A weird (but cool) new Channel appeared on the Wii-shopping page yesterday.

"Everybody Votes" is a survey/polling application with no true outcome or reward... other than people love to offer their opinions in a controlled, anonymous way.

If you played 3 hours of Halo 2 online during the first 3 days of Februray, then registered on Halo3.com. You probably have a email coming.

That is is you were one of the 13,333 registrants chosen to be Halo 3 beta testers.

Since I had to work, and I'm lazy, I'm buying Crackdown for my invite.

Wii Play for Nintendo Wii (ships to retailers on Wednesday)

Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 for Xbox 360, PS2 and PSP (already out)

Lunar Knights for Nintendo DS (already out)

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters for Sony PSP (ships Tuesday)

My regular game review and column ran in the paper this weekend.

Take a look at my review of Capcom's Lost Planet for the Xbox 360.

While Lost Planet isn't as good as it could have been, it's a worthy purchase and shows that the developers at Capcom aren't content to just churn out generic shooters. A little more work on the enemy AI would have gone a long way, though.

Then you can check out my thoughts on Nokia's plans to salvage the N-Gage.

To summarize: Nokia is stupid. Nokia could rebrand this thing as the Virtual Boy II and it would still be better received.

I was playing 'Wii Sports' this weekend and was in the process of bowling when I swung my arm into a pile of my various remote controls and a glass table. The remotes went sailing across the room and the my finger smacked the table (which, thank goodness, did not break... whew). It was painful and I really banged up my Wii-mote.

Microsoft offers THIS for you (and me).

It looks like the Xbox Live Arcade and internet favorites from Pop Cap will be finding their way to your Zune (if you're the person is that bought one), the DS, the PSP and the AppleTV.

Rumoring here

• Activision has made announcements that they will be making 'Guitar Hero' for a Nintendo systems (Wii or DS?): READ HERE

• Def-Jam Icon demo now on Xbox 360 marketplace

• Japanese Wii-motes showing up at US retailers: READ HERE

• Sony making 'Metal Gear' movie: READ HERE

• 120 gig/ HDMI/black Xbox 360 to launch soon in Australia... maybe: READ HERE

• Apple's new Airport Extreme 80211n is incompatible with Xbox 360 (saving me $179!): READ HERE

Last night I received a message on my Nintendo Wii... it was from Nintendo.

It stated that some people have had problems with their Wii-mote wrist straps.

There is an 800 number and a website to visit if you have offending straps.

This message was on the website for several weeks prior.

Thank goodness someone has found a way to make money off my defeciency: MiiStation.com

Just send in a photo of the person you want to Mii-create (and $5) and, bingo, a custom made Mii!

I gotta get in on this! Who's up for a badly designed Mii for $3?

Victor update: I actually came up with a pretty good Mii of John Goodman's character, Walter Sobchak, from The Big Lebowski. I use him when I bowl (except on shomer shabbos). I'll take a photo tonight and post it.

According to the usual suspects (Kotaku, etc), Xbox 360's maufactured in late 2006, received a quieter, smoother-accessing DVD drive.

Shouldn't Microsoft have used that upgrade opportunity to make them all HD-DVD drives?

Maybe that's next.

Office Mii's

The new EGM magazine rates the following games:

• Virtua Fighter 5 (PS3): 9.5, 10, 9.5
• NBA Street: Homecourt (PS3, Xbox 360): 9.0, 9.5, 9.0
• Crackdown (Xbox 360): 9.0, 8.5, 7.5

According to the site, Sony's Liverpool director, Clemens Wangerin, said Wipeout PS3 is definitely in development, along with a new WipeOut title for the PSP.

(Doug's secret thoughts: "Please let The Desginers Republic be in charge of game's art direction again. Please. Please. Please.")

Happy Days.

Look closely at trooper Bogden. I think he's trying to download the GRAW 2 demo.

Actually, this photo comes courtesy of the U.S. Army, which recently completed its first live-fire test of the Future Combat Systems technologies and equipment out at Fort Bliss in El Paso.

FCS really is the warrior of the future envisioned in games like GRAW. Unmanned vehicles, robots and human soldiers are all linked over a high-speed wireless network, so the good guys can coordinate their activities on the battlefield.

But this soldier looks, for all the world, like he's fiddling with an Xbox 360 controller. I called Maj. Deanna Bague in the Fort Bliss public affairs department, who shot the photo, and she said the device is a video screen that soldiers use to track their comrades and the various vehicles in the vicinity.

She wasn't certain if the device is actually a modified Xbox controller, but I should be talking with a technical specialist soon to find out whether our soldiers need to be worried about the feared red ring of death.

Planning on buying Midway's 'Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar' for your PC? Want to forgo the monthly $9.99 online fees? Have $250 burning a hole in your pocket?

Here you go: Full Details.

$199 extra gets you a lifetime online membership for this MMO. It's actually a pretty good deal.

Actually, it's a pretty good barometer of how much money you/we throw away on gaming. Yikes!

I think I spend more time upgrading my agility and leaping around the skyline than I do actually fighting those dirty Muertos scum, but every part of the demo is pure joy. I can't wait for the final game.

In Japan, they still can't find DS's: SEE

According to CVG (read article HERE), Microsoft will allow game developers to increase the number of achievement points by 250 for disc based games and 50 for Xbox Live Arcade games.

There are some stipulations concerning points earned from downloadable content, paid or not.... check the article.

I can't even get to 500 points a game!!! GRRR!

I almost forgot... if you want to get in on the Halo 3 beta test and you don't want to buy Crackdown, you have until the 3rd to play three hours of Halo 2 online multiplayer.

Get to crackin'!

Details HERE!