3 Red Light Fix, Xbox 360 Fanboy - 3 Red Light Fix

• Best of the Rest: Kevin's Picks of 2009

  Halo Wars Yeah, that's right, Halo Wars. I've already caught enough flak for putting this on my best-of list for 2009 (it's hard to even remember that it came out way back in February), but it deserves to be recognized ... so pay attention once your laughter has died down. Ensemble Studios (RIP) proved that you could bring a real-time strategy game to a console, and still make it enjoyable. Sure, you'll never have 1:1 parity mapping everything a full-sized keyboard offers onto a controller, but this game came close. It's a pity Ensemble closed, since we'll never see any expansion packs or a sequel. The good news is that, since it wasn't received with blaring trumpets and the sounds of cash registers ringing, you can pick this up for under 20 bucks for some good fun.Continue reading Best of the Rest: Kevin's Picks of 2009Best of the Rest: Kevin's Picks of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments - 16 hours ago

• Best of the Rest: Randy's Picks of 2009

  Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes If I had my way ... well, a lot of things would be different. When it came to video games, I'd make sure that everyone -- whether they own a Nintendo DS or not -- had a chance to play Might and Magic: Clash of Heroes. Now, I know, Might and Magic? Isn't that some long-dead RPG franchise that's probably best left in the ground? Well, yes -- but Clash of Heroes is about as far from any of the other games in the series as you can get. At its core, it's a puzzle game -- a combat puzzle game -- developed by Capybara, the same team behind PSN's wonderful Critter Crunch. Take that game's core mechanic, add a load of clever new ones and build a story-driven experience around it and you have one of the finest (not to mention most addicting) DS games ever.Continue reading Best of the Rest: Randy's Picks of 2009Best of the Rest: Randy's Picks of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments - 21 hours ago

• PSA: Halo Legends 'Origins Part 1' available today only

  Today's the day, folks. The last weekend of a two-month long, mostly bi-weekly Halo Legends release on Xbox Live Marketplace. While you can find the "Making of" version of this week's episode next week, "Origins Part 1" will mark the last free episode of the soon-to-be-released series. And yes, that "Part 1" modifier certainly does indicate a cliffhanger ending -- particularly considering this episode includes information on the barely talked about Forerunners of the Halo franchise. And now, if you'll excuse us, we're off to peep this joint for ourselves.PSA: Halo Legends 'Origins Part 1' available today only originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments - 24 hours ago

• Best of the Rest: Richard's Picks of 2009

  Halo Wars Say what you will about the game's simplicity, or the brevity of the single-player campaign, but Ensemble Studios absolutely nailed console real-time strategy with Halo Wars. The controls work beautifully, allowing for the kind of granular management required in RTS games, and yet they remain simple enough for almost anyone to get the hang of the game. Add great online multiplayer and it's one tasty proposition. Frankly, I was so addicted to the Skirmish mode when reviewing the game that it ate into my work hours. Remembering that makes it harder to face the fact that Ensemble was shuttered once work on the game was complete. I can only hope that Robot is given the chance to further the series, or at least work the controls into an entirely new game.Continue reading Best of the Rest: Richard's Picks of 2009Best of the Rest: Richard's Picks of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments - 26 hours ago

• Best of the Rest: Xav's Picks of 2009

  Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars Upon release, Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars immediately found its way on my top five games of 2009. With its style, humor and variety it's clear Rockstar was trying to shine a new light on the popular franchise. Not only that, Rockstar took chances in hopes to attract a similar audience to a handheld GTA as it has on consoles. From a new class of criminal, fighting for honor and turf in Liberty City to an addictive (albeit, mostly cloned from Drugwars) illegal narcotic mini-game, Chinatown Wars felt like a breath of fresh air. Sadly, the game was a commercial disaster, relative to its console-based siblings. Be that as it may, Chinatown Wars was not only my favorite on-the-go game of the year, it was easily one of the best games to release across any platform in 2009.Continue reading Best of the Rest: Xav's Picks of 2009Best of the Rest: Xav's Picks of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments - 31 hours ago

• Top 20 rated Xbox Live indie games closing '09

  Xbox Live Indie Games have had ratings since July of last year and, with the arrival of the new year, let's see how the unwashed masses (who may or may not have actually played the games) rated them. As IndieGames points out, sitting pretty atop the lists for both the US and UK is The Dishwasher: Dead Samurai developer SKA Studios' I made a game with zombies in it. Also known by its clinical title: I MAED A GAM3 W1TH Z0MBIES 1N IT!!!1. Some other good indie fare is included in the list, along with Microsoft's almost instantly forgotten game-creator: Kodu. Yeah, remember that? Well, you can try the demo or download it for 400. Check out the full US list after the break, which could be different by the time this post goes up. The internet is fast.Continue reading Top 20 rated Xbox Live indie games closing '09Top 20 rated Xbox Live indie games closing '09 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Jan 2010 05:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments - 34 hours ago

• JBO: Joystiq Box Office New Year's Edition, plus Joyswag!

  We can't be gaming all the time, despite our best efforts, and from time to time we'll actually take advantage of the movie-playing abilities on our gaming systems. JBO features our top picks for XBL, PSN, Netflix's Watch Instantly and Blu-ray each week. Happy New Year, and welcome to the Future! This is the last Joystiq Box Office (for now) where we're going to be giving away ... wait for it ... MOVIES! To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us what you'll be watching on your Xbox, PS3, PC, PSP, DS, OMG or whatever, and we'll pick two winners at random each week to receive a nifty prize. This week we'll be giving away one copy of The Warriors on DVD, along with a Marc Ecko Warriors shirt (size XL), and a code for the game The Warriors: Street Brawl on XBLA, and one copy of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian on Blu-ray. Read the complete rules at the end of this post, and good luck! Recommendation of the Week: 2010: The Year We Make Contact ($28.99 suggested retail, lower at many retailers) You saw this one coming, right? Besides The Hangover, this is the perfect movie for today. Even though we don't have passenger-based spaceflight, artificially intelligent megacomputers, or the continuing effects of the Cold War, this is still a quality movie. And for my two cents, it's more exciting than 2001. Don't get me wrong, the original is still a classic, but this one is more of an action movie. The slingshot maneuver, the triumphant return of HAL, the presence of Roy Scheider and Bob Balaban (John Lithgow whines too much in this movie), and a very young Helen Mirren as a Russian combine for unexpected enjoyment. Just check out Scheider's futurstic house, complete with dolphins and his very advanced Apple IIc to see how far we've come. Read on for the rest of the recommendations, and as usual, we'll see you at the popcorn sta -- well, actually, we won't see you at all. But you catch our drift. Plus, be sure to tell us what you'll be watching, or what you've seen recently that bowled you over. Continue reading JBO: Joystiq Box Office New Year's Edition, plus Joyswag!JBO: Joystiq Box Office New Year's Edition, plus Joyswag! originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments - 2 days ago

• Best of the Rest: Ludwig's Picks of 2009

  Silent Hill: Shattered Memories I mocked this "re-imagining" of Silent Hill when it was first announced. I thought Harry Mason had become an older, life-hewn Harry Potter and considered the town's frosty makeover as nothing short of sacrilege. But an encounter with the game at E3 2009 (and with candid producer Tomm Hulett) quickly changed my mind. While the game departs significantly from the franchise's known lore, it retains and streamlines much of what made Silent Hill stand out against games like Resident Evil. Encased in the game's frigid atmosphere, you'll experience a sense of bewilderment that, if you've been playing these games for a long time, you will not have felt in years. Indeed, the best surprises prey on those of us who think we know everything about Silent Hill.Continue reading Best of the Rest: Ludwig's Picks of 2009Best of the Rest: Ludwig's Picks of 2009 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 01 Jan 2010 19:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments - 2 days ago