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| Coming Next Week: Hunt, Fish and Rock
in Your Living Room |
| August 28, 2009 at 2:45 pm |
Guitar Hero 5 arrives in stores
this Tuesday.
We noticed that quite a few of the games coming out next week are simulations of things that you
could do in real life, but your circumstances may prevent you from actually doing them.
You may not be able to perform in a rock concert in front of thousands
of screaming fans, but Guitar Hero 5 allows you and your friends to
feel what that's like without having to live on a tour bus. If
you're the outdoor type, you could head for the local fishing hole
or sit in a blind at the nearest deer lease, but you could never hit
all of the beautiful locations in Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream or
Cabela's Outdoor Adventures without spending a fortune
and using up all of your vacation time. Plus, your
chances of contracting West Nile Virus from a mosquito bite are
greatly decreased in your living room, depending on the state of
your living room. Time and money may also prevent you from taking a
luxury cruise, but you can still enjoy all of the recreational
activities with Cruise Ship Vacation Games. You could become a
master of martial arts, but you'll never experience what it's like
to be one of the Mini Ninjas. Okay, we may be pushing it a little with that
last one, but you get the idea. Check out all of these approaching
releases that will let you experience some of those things you'd
love to do in the real world. That's the beauty of video games,
right? You can spend a little time in another world and emerge
refreshed to take on this one.
Monday, August 31
Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream for
Wii.
Tuesday, September 1
(Street Dated) Guitar Hero 5 for
Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PS2.
Cabela's Outdoor Adventures for
Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PS2.
Cruise Ship Vacation Games for Wii.
Mini Ninjas
for Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS and PC.
Gears of War 2 Game Of The Year Edition for Xbox 360.
Wireless Headset X41 for Xbox 360.
Section 8 for Xbox 360 and PC.
Ion Drum Rocker for Wii.
Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny for PSP.
Champions Online for PC.
Wednesday, September 2
IL 2 Sturmovik: Birds of Prey for Xbox 360 and PS3.
Thursday, September 3
Star Wars Light Saber Accessory for Wii.
Aluminum Guard Case for DSi.
Muramasa: The Demon Blade for Wii.
Halo ODST R/C Hornet Toy.
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| Coming Next Week: The Lunatics Run the
Asylum |
| August 21, 2009 at 2:45 pm |
Time is running out to get the GameStop-Exclusive in-game "Dem Bones" Scarecrow Challenge Map.
A ton of great games are shipping out this
week, but the one that has us bristling with bat-anticipation is
Batman: Arkham
Asylum, with the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions street dated for Tuesday, August 25. That means
it's
guaranteed to begin selling in stores on Tuesday, or if you reserve it
online by 11:00 am CST on Monday and opt for overnight shipping,
you'll get it on Tuesday. Many of our stores are opening late Monday
night to begin selling the game at precisely 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.
Sorry, but PC users will have to wait until September 15.
Dress up as Batman, Poison Ivy, The Joker, or the
lesser-known-but-fabulous villain Chandell, played by the late,
great Liberace in the 60s TV show. Then drop by a
participating
store near you to join the fun and pick up your game. We recommend
you reserve it now to make sure you get it before they run out. You
should also reserve it now because, while supplies last, if you
reserve Batman: Arkham Asylum, you can still get the
GameStop-Exclusive in-game "Dem Bones" Scarecrow Challenge Map. We
originally wanted an entire level featuring the Dark Knight dancing to "Chacarron
Macarron," but we think this will be more fun. In this challenge, Batman appears
to be battling an army of skeletons with glowing eyes. However, because
Scarecrow specializes in hallucinogens, the Caped Crusader could
actually be duking it out with a couple of mops and a squeegee in Arkham
Asylum's supply closet. We set that whole joke up just because we
think "squeegee" is a funny word. Other funny words include those
ending in "K," and places like Walla Walla, Keokuk, Cucamonga and Seattle.
For example, did you know the Batmobile from the TV show was a Buick
LeSabre? It's entirely untrue, yet somehow funnier than "Lincoln
Futura." According to the "K" rule, "Buick Skylark" should be
funnier than "Buick LeSabre," but "LeSabre" just seems funnier to
us. It's not an exact science. Anyway, reserve Batman: Arkham Asylum now to get the challenge
map, join the party at a store hosting a midnight opening, and check
out these other titles shipping out next week.
Monday, August 24
The Sims 2 University Life Collection for
PC.
Metroid Prime Trilogy for Wii.
Toys, Halo ODST R/C Warthog.
Tuesday, August 25
(Street Dated) Batman: Arkham Asylum for
Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
(Street Dated) Sony PSP Dissidia Bundle.
(Street Dated)Dissidia Final Fantasy for PSP.
Sony PlayStation 3 120GB.
PS3 DualShock 3 Wireless Controller, Blue.
Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy Limited Edition for PS2.
Sudoku Ball: Detective for DS.
Raven Squad: Hidden Dagger for PC.
Emergency Room: Real Life Rescues for DS.
Warriors Orochi 2 for PSP.
Imagine: Teacher Class Trip for DS.
Fallout 3 Broken Steel/Point Lookout for Xbox 360 and PC.
Harvest Moon: Magical Melody for Wii.
Harvest Moon: Frantic Farming for DS.
Reel Fishing: Angler's Dream for Wii.
The Clique: Diss and Make Up for DS.
Nancy Drew Dossiers: Resorting to Danger for PC.
Cursed Mountain for Wii.
Wizards of Waverly Place for DS.
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| This Week: Fight Glow-in-the Dark Nazis
and Mulchify Zombies |
| August 17, 2009 at 9:45 am |
Hey, is that a supernaturally glowing Nazi skeleton guy
we see lurking in the shadows over there?
A highly anticipated favorite makes its next-generation
debut when Wolfenstein ships this Tuesday. Apparently, the
Nazis didn't learn their lessons after their faces were melted off in
Raiders of the Lost Ark, and they're messing
around with the occult again,
trying to create a supernatural Nazi force. It will be up to you to save the world from the glow-in-the-dark
Reich. And if you haven't downloaded it already, the disk version of
Plants vs. Zombies ships Tuesday, as well. Strategically plant your
garden to fight back the zombies, which also happen to make great
mulch. It's all part of the circle of undead life.
Monday, August 17
Still Life 2 for
PC.
Tuesday, August 18
Wolfenstein for
Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.
My Friends for DS.
Sudoku Ball: Detective for DS.
Delta Force Xtreme 2 Limited Edition (GameStop Exclusive) for PC.
My Make Up for DS.
ATV Quad Kings for Wii.
Plants vs. Zombies for PC.
My Dress Up for DS.
Spectrobes: Origins for Wii.
Wednesday, August 19
Joint Ops: Combined Arms for PC.
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| Our Last Madden Monday: We Promised
Ourselves We Wouldn't Cry |
| August 10, 2009 at 5:36 pm |
We're not sure who's covering whom on
this play, but we
bet Prime Time comes up with it.
Joe Montana and Jerry
Rice are taking this game seriously. Note the play card on Jerry Rice's arm.
Here we see proper angle of
pursuit contrasted with just making sure you're in the shot.
For the last several weeks, we've been bringing you sneak peeks and updates
every Monday for the upcoming Madden NFL 10.
Because the game is releasing this Friday, and we can't cram any
more Mondays in before then, this is our last Madden Monday post.
We promised ourselves we wouldn't cry, but we're a little sad that we won't be bringing you any more exclusive screenshots or videos this year.
But what the heck, Dick Vermeil taught us that it's okay to cry over football. So give us just a moment to compose ourselves.
Wait…. Wait…. You guys…. Geez…. Okay, we're done.
Many of our stores will be hosting midnight launch events to
celebrate the release, beginning on Thursday night and culminating
with sales of Madden NFL 10
beginning at 12:01 a.m. on Friday. Check back online later this week
for a list of participating stores.
If you can't make it to a midnight launch party, check out the Madden NFL 10 Pigskin Pro-Am, which will air on ESPN 2 Thursday night.
It features a match up two teams, made up of NFL legends and Hollywood celebrities, in a flag-football
game. Each team was led by Super-Bowl-winning quarterbacks Joe
Montana and John Elway, and the rest of the all-star roster included
NFL legends Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders, Deion Sanders and more. The
celebrities included Jeremy Piven, Maria Menounos, Kevin Dillon and
Allison Sweeney. If you're too busy having fun at your local
GameStop Thursday night, you can also catch it on VH1 August 15 and
NFL Network August 17.
We have some video footage of the event below, which was played a
couple of weeks ago. We don't know who won, but we think the biggest
winner will be you if you catch one of the broadcasts. Speaking of
winners, don't forget to enter the
Madden NFL 10 Battle of the Gridiron Tournament to compete for a
trip to an Arizona Cardinals game and your chance to win $5,000! So
as we wrap up Madden Monday, don't think of this as "goodbye." Think
of it as "We'll meet again, maybe as we try to rip each other's
heads off in the Madden NFL 10 tournament."
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| Coming August 9-15: Fossil Fighters!!!
And Some Football Game |
| August 7, 2009 at 11:18 am |
Clean up the fossils you find, revive them into
Vivosaurs, and battle it out with Fossil Fighters.
We suppose the biggest news for next week is Friday's release of
Madden NFL 10. If you've been keeping up with the
blog for our Madden Monday features, you know that you'll have to fight for every yard in this year's edition of Madden, which
has spared no detail in bringing you everything you see on a typical
Sunday. But the game that has us excited around here is Fossil
Fighters, shipping Monday. Apparently, way, way back in
dinosaurian times, the location of the GameStop Store Support Center
in North Texas was ocean-front property. A couple of folks around
the office have become amateur fossil hunters, occasionally bringing
in fossilized clams, snails and ammonites, the clues to our briny
past here. So far, no one has managed to bring in a complete
velociraptor skull, let alone bring it back to life, but that's
exactly what you can do with Fossil Fighters. You'll dig up
fossils, clean them, revive them into Vivosaurs, and let them battle
against other Vivosaurs, which is the obvious benefit of bringing
back life from previous epochs. So, in a way, Fossil Fighters
and Madden NFL 10 are the same, both featuring huge,
lumbering beings battling it out for dominance. See the list below
for even more titles shipping out next week. Actual in-store dates may vary. Please contact your local store before you
begin your expedition.
Monday, August 10
Fossil Fighters for DS.
Tuesday, August 11
C.O.R.E. for DS.
Active Life Extreme Challenge for Wii.
Still Life 2 for PC.
Joint Operations: Complete Collection for PC.
Real Heroes: Firefighter for Wii.
Imagine: Soccer Captain for DS.
ATV Quad Kings for Wii.
Thursday, August 13
Phantom Brave: We Meet Again for Wii.
Friday, August 14
(Street Dated) Madden NFL 10 for Xbox 360, PS3,
Wii, PS2 and PSP.
Xbox 360 Wireless Microphone
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| Madden Monday: That's No Moon! |
| August 3, 2009 at 3:47 pm |
The EA SPORTS team took it as a
personal challenge to represent the stadium accurately.
The traditional hole in the roof and the giant scoreboard will
cast a shadow on noon games.
If you look closely, you can see an unprotected exhaust port about the size of a womp rat.
The new stadium for the Dallas Cowboys is
now fully armed and operational, ready to go this season. In fact, because
the GameStop Store Support Center is located in Grapevine, Texas,
just a
few miles north of the stadium, we've watched it grow from concept
to gigantically proportioned finished product. We can see it from
miles away, and we have to make sure we don't get caught in its tractor beam when we drive
to work.
Just like the builders of the
real thing were scrambling to finish the stadium in time for the new
season, our friends at EA SPORTS have been scrambling to get the
virtual stadium ready for Madden NFL 10.
We're told they took it as a great personal challenge and
responsibility to represent Cowboys Stadium as the flagship of the
Madden stadiums, just as the real stadium promises to be the
flagship of NFL stadiums. Here are some GameStop-Exclusive peeks at
the Madden NFL 10 version of the Stadium, as well as a few interesting tidbits about
its virtual construction. And don't forget to watch the exclusive
video below.
- It takes on average 276 working hours (or almost 2 months) to build a Madden stadium (not counting all the debugging and testing time)
- When you play in Cowboys Stadium this season, you’re looking at 100% accurate dimensions.
- A few areas of the stadium design had not been finalized before
the EA SPORTS team had to finish their version. So they interpreted the design relationship between Texas Stadium and Cowboys Stadium and translated that philosophy to the unknown areas.
- The defining feature of Texas Stadium was always the hole in the roof.
- The obvious difference in the field shadow for the new house is going to be the addition of the giant
L.E.D. scoreboards suspended over the field, which casts a huge shadow almost the whole length of the opening.
- That shadow is something you will not see during a game until October 11 when the Cowboys host the Chiefs at noon. You will, of course, see a pretty close representation of the real thing in
Madden NFL 10 much earlier.
- Because nobody has seen how the stadium will actually be dressed
up for different game days, the EA SPORTS team had to use their best
judgment to anticipate it.
- In spite of them having to take their best guess on some factors
like that, looking at the stadium in game with players (and refs, etc) on the field along with the crowd, you’ll
see a pretty good representation of what we’ll all see on the NFL
telecast.
Enjoy the video below, and we'll bring you more Madden news next
Monday.
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| Titles Coming August 2-7
|
| August 3, 2009 at 11:08 am |
You can bring a pistol to a flying-laser-cannon fight when
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra releases Tuesday.
What? It's August already? Summer's winding down. We always get depressed when we see all of the office-supply stores running Back-to-School ads,
although we don't mind getting 10 folders for a dollar. You can ease the almost-back-to-school blues with some of these titles that are shipping out this week.
Relive the good ol' days of your youth, when your biggest problem
was figuring out how those guys from Cobra always managed to deploy
their parachutes when their jets blew up in the G.I. Joe
cartoons, with the release of G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra on
Tuesday. Keep the spirit of summer going with a Lilac-colored Hannah
Montana PSP bundle. Or maintain your summer swimsuit figure with
Daisy Fuentes: Pilates. At first, we thought Daisy Fuentes got
married to some guy named Pilates, but then we realized that was
just the name of the game. These and others are shipping out this
week. See the list below. Actual in-store dates may vary. Please contact your local store before you head
there.
Monday, August 3
East India Company for PC.
Ultimate Duck Hunting for Wii.
Tuesday, August 4
(Street Dated) G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra for Xbox 360, PS3,
Wii, PS2, DS and PSP.
SingStar Queen for PS3
and PS2.
Brave: A Warrior's Tale for Xbox 360.
Hearts of Iron III for PC.
Daisy Fuentes Pilates for Wii.
Sony PSP Hannah Montana Lilac Bundle for PSP.
Friday, August 7
Brave: A Warrior's Tale for Wii.
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