Anyway, this is what they had to say about the release:

ZeniMax® Media Inc. today announced that the Creation Kit™, a free tool that allows PC players to create their own custom content for Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, has been enthusiastically received by PC gamers who have been uploading, downloading, and installing custom content through the Skyrim Workshop on Steam. Within a week of the release of the Creation Kit, gamers have downloaded more than 2 million mods via the Skryim Workshop. More than 2,500 mods have been published by the gaming community, all of which are available for free.

The creation kit does look really cool, but I have to question a few things. They want you to use Steam exclusively. You can publish mods to Steam with a built in button in the Creation Kit, and you can only download the Creation Kit through Steam. This is bad. Sure, it makes it easy to share your mods, but at what cost? You give your soul to Steam. You no longer have a gaming community, you have a Steam community.

Maybe I’m just paranoid.

Here’s the official video of the Creation Kit in action. It’s pretty suave.

Jet Grind Radio will be coming to your Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 very soon. This will be an upgraded post, and will contain at least eight-teen brand new pieces of graffiti that players can tag. Sega will be launching a contest to see which fan can create the best graffiti, and the winners’ graffiti will be put in the game. It’s not confirmed if any other new things will be put into the game, but one can suspect improved framerates and perhaps a slight graphics increase.

Here’s what Sega officially had to say:

SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe Ltd. today announced the upcoming digital release of fan-favourite: Jet Set Radio™, the wall-tagging, trend-setting Dreamcast™ classic from 2000. DJ Professor K, Beat, Gum, and all the GGs are taking to the streets in this upgraded HD version of Jet Set Radio, which sees players vying for control of the futuristic Tokyo-to by marking their turf with graffiti tagged across walls, billboards and rival gang members. The slick gameplay, genre-blending soundtrack and pioneering art style of Jet Set Radiowill be coming to Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®Network, and Windows PC Digital Download this summer.

Jet Set Radio lets players join the GGs, an up-and-coming street gang in the futuristic city of Tokyo-to, fighting for the right to self-expression against an overbearing, corporate-controlled police force. Rolling and leaping through crowded urban environments on magnetically driven inline skates, players take control of gang leader Beat and his growing posse of deviant artists as they steal turf from the local gangs by covering the city with colorful graffiti. Guided by Professor K, DJ for the hottest pirate broadcast in town – “Jet Set Radio” – the GGs will ultimately uncover the sinister plot hatched by the controlling powers of Tokyo-to.

I remember playing this game over my friend’s house all the time, so I am really excited to see the game in today’s world. Keep on bringing back the classics, Sega! (And make some new ones while your at it)

Electronic Arts says this:

The game follows the 2010 Medal of Honor reboot that moved the series out of World War II into war-torn Afghanistan and introduced the U.S. Tier 1 Operator. Medal of Honor Warfighter goes beyond Afghanistan and takes the fight to the enemy in missions that have a dotted line to real world events. From rescuing hostages in the Philippines to eliminating the pirate threat on the Somali Coast, the game is an up close and personal look into the fight against today’s global terror threat. Written by U.S. Tier 1 Operators while deployed overseas, Medal of Honor Warfighterdelivers an aggressive, gritty and authentic experience that puts gamers in the boots of the world’s most precise and disciplined warriors.

Medal of Honor Warfighter tells the personal story of U.S. Tier 1 Operator “Preacher,” as he returns home only to find his family torn apart from years of combat deployment. Trying to pick up the pieces and salvage what remains of his marriage, Preacher is reminded of what he’s fighting for – family. But when a deadly explosive known as PETN penetrates civilian borders and his two worlds collide, Preacher and his fellow teammates are sent in to do what they do best — solve the problem.

Check out the announce trailer for more and see how the game is shaping up:

EA had this to say:

SimCity, slated for release in calendar year 2013 for PC, is a true rebirth of the franchise that brings the depth of simulation that has been the series hallmark for more than two decades and marries it with next generation accessibility and a robust multiplayer mode, giving players the power to change a world together. Fans can catch their first glimpse of the rebirth of SimCity by viewing the extended trailer at www.SimCity.com and can pre-order SimCity today on Origin™ to receive SimCity Heroes & Villains content* featuring a battle between Maxis Man and his longtime nemesis Evil Dr. Vu.

For more than two decades, the king of city-building simulators has sworn in millions of virtual mayors from around the world. With its return in 2013, SimCity will engage an entirely new generation of PC gamers as they take charge of their own customized cities and build a world that co-exists alongside friends. For the first time in SimCity franchise history, players’ decisions will have long-lasting repercussions that will extend beyond their city limits. Together, players will address real global challenges such as climate change, the search for renewable resources and natural disasters. It’s up to the players to decide whether to compete or collaborate to shape the world of tomorrow — for better or for worse.

Words really don’t say the whole story. Below is the Announce Trailer. It shows how the player can now shape which type of city is built. Here we see that a technological city teams up with an industrial city to solve a power crisis which makes the citizens riot. This type of multiplayer with the different types of cities will be a crucial aspect in creating a great city.

EA announced the details on three more Battlefield 3 expansion packs! Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand is already available for $14.99 or 1200 Microsoft points and features four new maps: Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Wake Island and Sharqi Peninsula.

Without further adue, here is what EA has to say about the new expansions:

• Battlefield 3:Close Quarters — In Battlefield 3:Close Quarters, players are dropped into a frantic, infantry-only theatre of war. Frostbite 2 high definition destruction makes the environment come alive as everything from furniture to plaster gets shot to pieces. Players will feel the intensity of the world exploding around them as rubble and broken pieces pile up on the floor, while tight level design and vertical gameplay create a highly competitive environment. Battlefield 3:Close Quarters also introduces new weapons, assignments and unique dog tags to bring back to the base game.
• Battlefield 3:Armored Kill — Following the tight infantry gameplay of Battlefield 3:Close Quarters, DICE will release Battlefield 3:Armored Kill that ups the ante for vehicular mayhem as only Battlefield can do. Featuring new driveable tanks, ATVs, mobile artillery and more, Battlefield 3:Armored Kill also delivers huge battlefields for an all-out vehicle assault, including the biggest map in Battlefield history.
• Battlefield 3:End Game — The fourth expansion pack will ship in the winter but details remain tightly guarded.

And there you have it.

You can expect Close Quarters in June, Armored Kill in fall, and End Game in the winter.

Well, we kind of already knew that Mass Effect 3 was awesome, but this proves it! EA officially announced that it was a critical and commercial success. Here’s what they had to say about it:

Over 3.5 million units of the award-winning game have already shipped worldwide in its first week of release, making Mass Effect 3the first pop culture event and the biggest entertainment launch of 2012.

“We have been truly humbled by the amazing response from fans and critics for Mass Effect 3,” said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder of BioWare and General Manager of EA’s BioWare Label. “The game is a gripping, engaging experience where the decisions and choices you make will truly stay with you for the months and years ahead. We are all incredibly proud of Casey Hudson and the teams in Edmonton and Montreal for delivering the best game BioWare has ever made.”

Mass Effect 3 was released earlier this week to incredible hype amidst high expectations. Critics around the world have heaped praise on the game, awarding it with over 30 perfect scores from a wide variety of outlets including MSNBC, USA Today, Game Informer, G4TV, the New York Daily News, Eurogamer (UK), The Guardian, PlayStation: The Official Magazine (UK), Official Xbox Magazine (UK) and more. The game has been lauded for delivering both the satisfying experience longtime fans have been yearning for while also being the best entry point to the series for players new to the franchise. GameSpot, who awarded Mass Effect 3 with one of the many Editors’ Choice awards the game has received, declared “whether you possess a storied history with the series or come in with a clean slate, Mass Effect 3 expertly entangles you in its universe and inspires you to care about its future.”

Awesome! But what does that mean for the Mass Effect series?

As mentioned in our review, this will be the last game in the series. However, due to the incredible success of Mass Effect 3, Bioware will probably release another game in the same universe. There has been too much critical acclaim for Bioware to just put this on to bed. What that new game is, I have no idea, but it will probably follow Mass Effect 3 or come before Mass Effect 1. Keep your fingers crossed!

Last week we heard that Blizzard was laying off 600 employees. It doesn’t look like Diablo III will be affected as it is soon probably in late stages of development by now. What a nice move by Blizzard: “Thanks for helping us create this game, now scram!” Blizzard (officially) has this to say:

“Constant evaluation of teams and processes is necessary for the long-term health of any business. Over the last several years, we’ve grown our organization tremendously and made large investments in our infrastructure in order to better serve our global community. However, as Blizzard and the industry have evolved we’ve also had to make some difficult decisions in order to address the changing needs of our company,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “Knowing that, it still does not make letting go of some of our team members any easier. We’re grateful to have had the opportunity to work with the people impacted by today’s announcement, we’re proud of the contributions they made here at Blizzard, and we wish them well as they move forward.”

Blah, blah, blah, same corporate talk we hear all of them say.

Seems like a coincidence that now ActivisionBlizzard bumps up Dennis Durkin to full-time CFO. They had this to say:

Durkin assumes the position from Thomas Tippl, who has been serving in the Chief Financial Officer position on an interim basis since his promotion to Chief Operating Officer in 2010.  As the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Tippl will continue to oversee Activision Publishing’s and Blizzard Entertainment’s operational activities as well as the company’s Strategic Planning, Global Sales and Supply Chain, IT, Legal and Human Resources departments.

“We are very pleased to welcome Dennis to Activision Blizzard’s senior management team,” stated Bobby Kotick.  ”Dennis joins us with more than 15 years of multinational experience in finance and operational management and brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise as we continue to build our business around the world.  Dennis shares our philosophy of shareholder value creation and in his new position will be able to build on our strong financial and operational foundation.”

Before joining Microsoft, Durkin was a financial analyst at Alex. Brown and Company. He holds an MBA from Harvard University and a bachelor’s degree in Government from Dartmouth College.

I found it humorous that they mention where he went to school in its own paragraph. I forgot that the college you go to says what kind of person you are… Or makes you more intelligent somehow? Perhaps those 99%ers got something to complain about after all.

What do you think? With some hot games on there way out (Diablo III & Blizzard DOTA), why do you think they layed off 600 employees? To pay an educated CFO? To get more returns for the shareholders? To dominate the world?

Jaming Out?

Ok, let’s be honest, we knew EA was going to beat The Sims 3 into the ground like the last 2, but this time I think they didn’t deliver anything of value. When I first heard of this expansion, to be honest, I was excited because I thought it would be like The Sims: Superstar. I absolutely loved Superstar because it allowed your Sim to be a Hollywood big shot. Showtime allows your Sim to be more like a generic entertainer, not a movie star.

Showtime comes with one new world: Starlight Shores. It looks like they put about an hour worth of work into it. They put multiple jobs into one building, which just shows how little effort they seemed to put into this expansion pack. Ironically, the world doesn’t contain a movie studio. Yep, I was pissed. I saw in different worlds (That my girlfriend paid for), there was an actor and director career path. They wouldn’t even include that into Starlight Shores, which is supposed to be about being a famous! Ugh. The houses are generic as well, with nothing too inspiring. There is a noteworthy story of a bitter divorce with the husband living in the pool house, but other than that, not inspired at all.

The new careers are a joke. They are more like Ambitions in a sense that you have to “play through” your job. You have to set up your venue and

The Uninspired Starlight Shores

get gigs by asking business owners around town. This would be alright if it didn’t make the game feel broken. These careers would be nearly impossible to maintain with a moderately large family of Sims, so honestly, they are kind of useless.

The new objects compliment the careers in pretty much all aspects. The only exception would be the skeeball game, photo booth, and the golf driving range. Again, I felt like I paid too much for the game with barely any new objects and a half-assed world.

SimPort would be cool if everyone in the world lived on Facebook, but I don’t. I imagine it would be good for a group of friends who play the Sims and go on Facebook, but again, I don’t have anyone to play The Sims 3 with besides people I haven’t talked to in years.

And then they try to sell me the other two editions: limited and Katy Perry. I’m not spending more money for special venues and clothing that I’m not going to use because the new careers require too much time. But I mean, if you like that, go for it.

I was expecting The Sims 3: Showtime to be like The Sims: Superstar. It’s not at all. I was disappointed and I feel like it wasn’t even an average expansion pack. With the awkward careers and the new world that looks like a generic Hollywood, GameApollo gives this a:

2.6/5

What do you think of The Sims 3: Showtime? Rate it below:

In the 3rd addition, you are again in control of Commander Shepard. All the old characters have returned with great model upgrades which is really cool for old fans of the series. The player models look great, it looks like Bioware really put some time into their the models, skins, and animation; they work flawlessly. Mass Effect 3 has more of an added emphasis of the decisions you made in Mass Effect 1 and 2. In the previous games, maybe you wouldn’t notice the effects of your actions as much as you do in Mass Effect 3. It works really well as a RPG in this area. Also, weapons are highly customizable with various upgrades for each weapon. There is more of an emphasis on combat as well, which I think

works for the series. The graphics are fantastic, but there are some occasional texture issues — not enough to justify saying the graphics are bad though. They are great, don’t get me wrong. Framerate is faster in comparison to Mass Effect 1 and 2, which makes combat smooth and crisp.

Instead of resource gathering being slow and boring like the previous games in the series, resource gathering in Mass Effect 3 is much improved. There is no cap to the amount of probes you can build. Gathering works more like a mini-game. Scanning is also more fun now as they made it a type of mini-game as well. There are much, much more conversation options than in the previous games. This is great because I always felt “cheated” when I could only respond to a limited amount of choices. Mass Effect 3 definitely fixes this problem. It took me around 50 hours to play through the single player, so it’s definitely worth the money. Replay value is high due to the great multiplayer gaming. It’s really fun. Kinect works flawlessly and is a really nice feature. You don’t have to pause every time you want to select an option, letting you get to the action fast. If you own a Xbox 360 and a Kinect, you should probably pick this game up. You’ll thank me for it later. This is arguably the best Mass Effect in the series. Bioware did a fantastic job with this game.

This game is nearly perfect. Aside from some repetitive battle sequences and the rare texture issues, it is almost perfect. GameApollo gives this game a:

4.7/5

What is your rating of Mass Effect 3? Rate it below:

Star Wars: The Old Republic European Packshot

Star Wars: The Old Republic, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by EA, is now available for purchase in North America. The game was released on Dec 15 in Europe.

At a development cost rumored to be over $135 million, The Old Republic may be the most expensive video game ever created.

The story takes place about 3500 years before the events of the films. Players will have the option of joining either of the two fractions, The Sith and the Galactic Republic. Although each faction is led by a benevolent or malevolent leader, it is emphasized that an individual member may possess a morality at any point along the light/dark spectrum. The project’s key focus is to differentiate between the player’s faction and morality. For instance, a member with ties to the Galactic Republic may belong to the Dark Side while attempting to achieve their own ends, which may be misaligned or dissimilar from the Republic’s vision.

Players will also have access to several planets,including Korriban, Ord Mantell, Nal Hutta, Tython, Coruscant, Balmorra, Alderaan, Tatooine, Dromund Kaas, Taris, Belsavis, Voss, Hoth,  Corellia, Ilum and Quesh, and the moon Nar Shaddaa. Every player will receive their own starship, which was announced at E3 2010.

This is the fourth game set in the Star Wars Universe. Previous games are Knights of the Old Republic, Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords and Knights of the Old Republic 3 (cancelled).

Star Wars saga spawned six films:

• Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), originally Star Wars
• Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Star Wars Episode VI: Return of The Jedi (1983)
• Star Warse Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
• Star Wars Episode II: Attack of The Clones (2002)
• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The saga introduced many iconic characters like: Luke Skywalker (Mark Hammil), Obi-Wan (Alec Guinness, Ewan McGregor), Princes Leia (Carrie Fisher), Darth Vader, C-3PO, R2D2, Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Chewbacca and Padme (Natalie Portman).