Xbox 360

Redbox to Offer Games Nationwide in June

It’s been a few years since GameFly became the Netflix of video games rentals, but there hasn’t been a Redbox for gaming. That will all change in June when Redbox themselves will begin offering game rentals along with their movie selection. For those of you unfamiliar with the service, a Redbox is essentially a vending machine for movie rentals. As opposed to other physical retail rental chains, such as the recently bankrupt Blockbuster, Redbox locations can be anywhere from a gas station to a fast food restaurant. When you’re finished, you just return the disc to any Redbox location. Rentals for films are a dollar a day on DVD, or for 50 cents more you can get a Blu-Ray. According to Redbox, games will be a little more at $2 a day.

Hulu Plus Arrives on Xbox 360 Tomorrow, Free Week for All

If you’re a Hulu Plus subscriber, you’ll be happy to know that the service is finally arriving on Xbox 360 tomorrow, April 29^th. If you’re not a subscriber, you’ll be even happier to know that you get a free ride for a week, thanks to the fine folks at Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. The free trial offer is available to both Gold and Silver Xbox Live subscribers. No word yet on if you need a base Hulu account or not to try out the service.

What We (Would) Want: Deadly Premonition 2

About a month ago we started a feature from the Xbox Team
entitled “What We Want.” I’m now adding a slight spin on it with “What We
(Would) Want” which will discuss a sequel that we may not be guaranteed to receive.

For example: Deadly
Premonition 2. Deadly Premonition 1 was unarguably a cult classic. It had its
haters (and for good reason) but it also had its many lovers that adored the
charm the game was filled with and even dug deep enough to realize the story
was quite interesting and filled with deeply disturbed yet lovable characters.
While Deadly Premonition was a very fun game to play through, it had its
issues. And if we’re ever lucky enough to be graced by the Swery gods with a
Deadly Premonition 2, here are some things the charismatic developer should
keep in mind.

New Brink Trailer Released, SMART Tutorial

The newest Bethesda published title, Brink, is coming out in
a matter of weeks and Bethesda and Splash Damage have both published a new
trailer for their hotly anticipated title. In the trailer/tutorial, you’re
introduced to the SMART system in Brink.

While some of the more recent Bethesda published titles have
been horrible (Rogue Warrior, Wet), there seems to be a ton of potential in
Brink. The combat looks fun and frantic and the classes all seem unique and fun
to play.

Thankfully, we only have to wait two more weeks for Brink as
it releases on May 10^th on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

Gears 3 Beta Report: Volume 2

Week two got
off to a great start by including two new maps, a new game type and one new
weapon. If you checked out volume one, you know how things stand
regarding the new weapons. For this one, I’m going to go over the most
important changes. If you have played a lot of either game’s multiplayer, there
are certain things you’re going to have to understand in Gears 3. Otherwise, you’re
going to die… a lot.

Mortal Kombat (Xbox 360) Review

Even
though the Mortal Kombat series has never really left the gaming world, it’s
certainly had trouble finding its place since the days of the arcade. This new
release takes the gameplay back to that era with a 2D fighting arena and
bringing back the traditional fatalities along with what has to be the greatest
Mortal Kombat roster ever. This isn’t a total throwback game though, the
fighting system is completely new and encourages you to use the moves available
to create your own custom combos.

This entry
completely reboots the entire series; the game begins at the end of the events
of Mortal Kombat: Armageddon, with Raiden
sending a message to his past self before the first Mortal Kombat of what would
happen if he does not act. The story mode in Mortal Kombat is by far the best
in any fighting game, the game constantly shifts from cut scene to fight at a
break neck pace that manages to actually keep you interested. I played the
entire thing from start to finish in one sitting. The difficulty of the story
mode can be pretty messy though, especially when you’re faced with multiple
opponents that are followed by incredibly easy 1v1 battles. That being said,
the story mode does a great job of introducing you to some bread and butter
moves of all the characters, which is great once you have finished it.

The Fancy Pants Adventures Review

Side-scrolling action games seem to be a staple on the Xbox
Live Marketplace. From Contra to Earthworm Jim to even original titles like
Alien Hominoid, the marketplace is filled with them. It seems as if there is a
new one every month, and this month it’s The Fancy Pants Adventures’ turn. Is
Fancy Pants Adventures just another side-scroller that will be thrown by the
wayside or can it be something that requires your immediate download?

The Fancy Pants Adventures is based off the flash game
released by Brad Borne, which I had never played until starting my review of
its XBLA counterpart. One thing that definitely carried over into the new Xbox
Live version of Fancy Pants is the cartoon look that adds a very unique visual
style to the game. It has a recently hand drawn look, but not in a bad way.
Colors pop and more importantly, the animations are fantastic. Watching Fancy
Pants do backflips and then transition into a quick sprint up a winding loop
can drop your jaw in a heartbeat.