GDC revisited

Well the 2008 GDC has come to a close.

Gears of War 2 was announced as expected, but nothing earthshattering has been revealed about the game yet. The trailer is very awesome, even if it does not show off any in-game footage.



I was really impressed with Microsoft's showings as a whole. Too Human looks great which has me quite excited. I've been following the game since it was a Gamecube game, and it's awesome to see it ooze quality after all of the changes it has gone through.

Ninja Gaiden 2 is going to be ace as well. Talk about a bloody game...

HD-DVDeath

Welp, Toshiba finally pulled the plug on their HD-DVD format this past week.

What does that mean for you, the avid movie buff?

I'll explain all in this Thursday's edition of the Chanticleer. Check it out!

Turtle Shell Turmoil

New Mario Kart Wii information has surfaced from Web site Wii Insider. The information is in dutch, so you'll need a translator to uncover the goodies. Click here to read the full article.

I am pleased to see that Koopa Troopa will be returning to the series. He was my favorite character in Super Mario Kart, but I had to settle for Toad in the other games.

The most interesting piece of info deals with the supposed release date of the game. The site claims that the European date has been set for April 25th, which is supposedly 15 days after the game launches in Japan. Could we be playing Mario Kart Wii in less than 2 months? I highly doubt it, but I'm crossing my fingers.

GDC 2008

It's time for the annual Game Developers Conference held out west. This year promises to be bigger than ever, so expect a surprise or two to surface over the conventions four day period. Many games are rumored to appear such as Gears of War 2 for the Xbox 360. Rare's newest Banjo game should be in attendance, along with their highly rumored XBLA version of Goldeneye.

A 360 model with a Blu-Ray drive is the current big rumor on the block. I wouldn't expect to see it this week, but Microsoft might feel that waiting would only hurt them in the long run. Hopefully we'll get a glimpse this week.

Sony does not have a keynote, but I would expect to see at the very least new Killzone 2 footage. Sony is riding high after a very successful sales month in January, so it will be interesting to see how they carry the momentum into the second half of quarter one.

A Crysis port could be at the show, and would probably end up on both 360 and PS3.

Xbox Originals

Microsoft is thinking about the gamer this Valentine's Day by updating the list of Xbox Originals that can be downloaded on the Xbox 360.

Ninja Gaiden Black, Sid Meier's Pirates! and Black were added on Monday.

They were added to a lineup that features Halo, Crimson Skies and Psychonauts among others.

I really love this feature of the 360, but it proves that a bigger HD is needed. 1200 Microsoft points is well worth it for many of these games.

Ninja Gaiden Black is especially worth the price of admission. The game was one of the best original Xbox games, and still holds up very well to this day. I highly recommend that everyone check this game out before the sequel hits in a few months. The punishing difficulty may turn some gamers off, but I suggest to keep trying. The game is extremely rewarding.

Microsoft seeks macro acquisition

The big news this week in the technology world deals with Microsoft's bid to purchase Internet giant Yahoo. The Redmond based behemoth has reportedly offered $44.6 billion dollars for the company.

The addition of Yahoo would give Microsoft a much needed boost in the war against Google, the current king of online advertising and searching.

You can read the full story on Yahoo News(Oh the Irony!)

Devil May Cry 4

Devil May Cry 4 will be released this week on the 360 and PS3. Capcom's hack-and-slash phenomenon is the first major release of the year, and is definitely worth checking out.

A demo is available on both consoles for people to check out the game before they commit to the $60 asking price. I leave you with a video of someone playing through the demo.