Call of Duty and Subscriptions Fees. It's Not What You Think.

Someone design a better logo DOUBLE TIME!

So today Activision finally announced what the hell Call of Duty: Elite is and clarifies all those rumors about future Call of Duty (CoD) titles requiring a subscription fee.

Elite will not be a new game but a service that will work with CoD: Black Ops and future CoD titles and will have a free and paid tier to it.

But what is it exactly? Details after the jump.

Review: L.A. Noire

As I opened the door to my apartment, something told me that this was going to be different. I couldn't tell you how or what exactly, but it's just that sixth sense that you get when you're as experienced as I am.  

Been doing this since that plumber needed help rescuing some dame back in the 80's. I've seen mortals bring down the gods, grand theft autos, heaven brought down by a snake, men take leaps of faith, and have had my share of bad company with the mafia too. 

All I knew was that I had to know what made this different. To know if this was the real deal, good or bad, or if it was just another copycat wanting some of the spotlight.


This wasn't for some trophy or sense of achievement anymore. This was the type of thing that makes you or breaks you, and I was about to find out firsthand.

Hit the JUMP for the review!

Game Review: L.A. Noire

(J.P. Dozier)

Rockstar Games and Team Bondi have added another game to its family and this is one definitely worth playing. If you are someone that has been waiting on a game to play that doesn't take 8 hours or less to beat, here you go. This game has about 30+ hours of game play and there is never a dull moment in it. Not only is the plot amazing but RockStar has acquired an excellent cast for the characters. People such as Aaron Staton from T.V.'s Mad Men, John Noble from Fringe and Lord of the Rings: Two Towers, and Greg Grunberg from Heroes. And that is just a small sample of actors.

The game starts out during the post-war boom of Hollywood's Golden Age. You are Cole Phelps, an LAPD detective thrown into a city drowning in its own success.The whole city is surrounded by corruption, drugs and murders. As you fight to climb the ranks and to do what is right by the badge, you begin to unravel the truth about the corruption of the city and members of his own department. In doing so, putting himself and others in danger in order to do what is right.

This is actually a good trailer and yes, they used the music from Inception....


Now it is time for the breakdown of the game.

Gears of War 3 Campaign Trailer

Once again Microsoft shows that they can put out amazing trailers, especially for Gears of War. This new trailer showcases some of the things that we are sure to encounter during the campaign like Marcus' father, gigantic worm things, and....wait! Lambent Berserkers!?!?!



Man this is going to be rough...



Expect some more Gears of War 3 footage and info during Microsoft's E3 press conference on June 6th at 1:00 PM EST. Or I think they will at least if my E3 predictions for Microsoft are correct.

Modern Warfare 3, Dead Island, and Final Fantasy Type - 0 Gameplay

Do I really need to explain what's going on here? You got a little bit of Modern Warfare 3 gameplay, TWENTY minutes of Type - 0 gameplay, and finally ten minutes worth of Dead Island gameplay.

Granted Type - 0 is in Japanese (I think), but the gameplay is what is important not the language in which it is spoken.

I'm pretty sure there is something you guys can find here that you will like. Videos after the jump.

Crystal Ballin': E3 Predictions Part 2 - Sony

So less than a month away and all of us gamers will be drooling over new trailers, screenshots, and news that is to surely ooze out from E3.

Probably the biggest draw of the the show is the conferences held by the major platform holders, and this year definitely will be an interesting one for the Big Three.

Microsoft has to make up ground with core title releases and the Kinect, Sony has to regain lost ground not only with consumers but publishers, and Nintendo is easily poised to steal the show with their new console reveal.

What else might happen though? What news and huge surprises will be announced? That's where I come in. There is some for sure answers and some completely out there guesses going on here but remember, this is my take on what I believe will happen at E3.

And in case you missed it here is Part 1 of our predictions dealing with Microsoft.

Here is the conference schedule and the order in which I will do these posts:

Microsoft: June 6 12PM EST

Sony: June 6 8PM EST

Nintendo: June 7 12PM EST

This time, Sony will be the focus. They started the year off with a bang with titles like LittleBigPlanet 2, Killzone 3, MLB 2011: The Show, and SOCOM 4. Then just the day after SOCOM 4 launced, the PSN went down due to a hacker attack. Almost a month later and we are just now getting restoration of service and even then not complete restoration. 

Will this affect Sony's press conference or will they just attempt to sweep it under the rug and let all their announcements try to overshadow it? My E3 predictions continue after the jump.

New Video Game Releases 5/15-5/21

I hope you guys have your detective skills brushed off because you're going to need them for the big release of L.A. Noire this week.

Decently small week considering people decided to avoid attempting to compete with L.A. Noire but there are some jewels to be found like the release of Chrono Trigger for the fiftieth time!

Hit the jump for this weeks releases.

Noteworthy titles are in bold and italicized.

Crystal Ballin': E3 Predictions Part 1 - Microsoft

So less than a month away and all of us gamers will be drooling over new trailers, screenshots, and news that is to surely ooze out from E3.

Probably the biggest draw of the the show is the conferences held by the major platform holders, and this year definitely will be an interesting one for the Big Three.

Microsoft has to make up ground with core title releases and the Kinect, Sony has to regain lost ground not only with consumers but publishers, and Nintendo is easily poised to steal the show with their new console reveal.

What else might happen though? What news and huge surprises will be announced? That's where I come in. There is some for sure answers and some completely out there guesses going on here but remember, this is my take on what I believe will happen at E3.

Here is the conference schedule and the order in which I will do these posts:


Microsoft: June 6 12PM EST

Sony: June 6 8PM EST

Nintendo: June 7 12PM EST

So first up, Microsoft. Predictions after the jump.

PSN Resurrection: It Begins!

WOO! Sony has begun the restoration of the Playstation Network. Right now you can download the mandatory system update (v3.61) which will force you to change the password associated with your account as an added security measure once the service has been restored in the area.

Sony is rolling out the PSN in phases though, restoring most services but not all, though the most important part, online play, will be back. In the following video, Kazuo Hirai outlines exactly what's going on and what services are to return.

And for those of you not wanting to sit through the video, the list of returning services is listed after the video as well.

New Video Game Releases 5/8 - 5/14

And so the big summer release schedule kicks off. The next few weeks are chock full of awesome games and it almost feels like it a lead up to the holidays with the amount of great games coming out. Infamous 2, L.A. Noire, Brink, F.3.A.R., Duke Nukem Forever, and a whole slew of others I know I have forgotten.

Consider this week the appetizer of what is to be a few good months of gaming.

Also, I've decided that each weeks list of new games will be posted Monday evenings from now on. If any of you guys would like it earlier, let me know and I can attempt to adjust the post day or time.

Noteworthy titles in bold and italicized.

Assassin's Creed Won't Requiescat In Pace - New Game Reveal!!!

Ubisoft today finally revealed their next installment in the Assassin's Creed franchise: Assassin's Creed: Revelations. The screenshot above (via Game Informer) is the first in game shot we have of the new game.

The Assassin's Creed series is one of my favorite of all time, and it sounds like Ubisoft is trying to go bigger and better than they did with the amazing Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

New Video Game Releases 5/1 - 5/7

Another week and another week of New Video Game Releases. This week is the calm before the storm that will be a heavy release schedule for the next month or so.

So are you planning on getting anything this week or just saving money for future releases? Let us know what your plans are in the comments.

PlayStation Network - Sony 2nd in Command Explains PSN Return

I hope you guys like free stuff.

Early in the morning, 1:00 AM EST today to be exact, Sony held a press conference in Tokyo to explain what's going on with the Playstation Network. Kazuo Hirai, Sony's second in command and the face of Playstation, took to the podium and outlined what will happen going forward this coming week and in the near future.

A whole bunch of details after the jump.