It really pays to subscribe to newsletters sometimes. You’ll never know what bit of fantastic news might just leap out at you when you least expect it.

I just opened my e-mail inbox recently when I came across an Atlus announcement: a new medical sim (a genre made popular by the Trauma Center series) will be coming to the Nintendo Wii sometime spring of next year. Dubbed Hospital slash Trauma Team, this new game passes the torch to six new doctors ready to continue the legacy of Drs. Styles, Weaver, Vaughn and Blaylock.

Of course, I’m assuming that those three veterans aren’t in the game to begin with. Three of the doctors look like younger and stylishly redrawn versions of the veteran surgeons. A fourth doctor in the series gives us a glimpse of what Dr. Styles may look like sans glasses, darker hair, vampiric bloodlust and an androgynous charm borrowed from a certain Persona 4 sleuth.

The prospect of having six specialists this time around instead of two miracle doctors who do all the work (with a hot nurse nagging them all throughout the process) sounds like an interesting concept. This way, you can have one doctor stitch up all the wounds  while another glues back broken pieces of bone with mystical antibiotic gel. A third surgeon can focus on removing tumors with impunity while the other two are preoccupied.

Of course, we’ll have to wait and see if all of them will actually be working together during the operation itself, or if they’ll be taking turns during the entire process of testing, diagnosis, surgery and post-op. The latter case may be likely, as one of the doctors is supposed to be a diagnostician.

Also, a quick glance at the initial screenshots will tell you that the classic syringe, forceps, gel et al are still in there. Some gameplay elements may also involve timing bits reminiscent of the defibrillator and “massage” scenarios of past games. There’s appears to be a part where you have to hammer some bones into place as well.

It’s most unfortunate that the official website contains very little info as of this time. I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled on this one, though. Anything that gives me a good excuse to probe a woman’s bare midriff is A-okay in my book.

A few days ago the demo for Yakuza 3 (Ryu Ga Gotoku 3 in Japan) came out on Japanese PSN. By cheating the system I downloaded the Japanese demo due to being a big fan of the Yakuza series. The demo has some flaws.

I had to download the demo twice, at first the demo had gigantic load times, but the second time I downloaded it and installed it everything went very smoothly.

Oh boy has the game been improved. First of all, when navigating through the town of Kamuro-cho you are no longer bound by fixed perspectives, you have full camera control all the time. Second of all, battles occur without any screen transition, instead all the pedestrians on the street run away from the place you will fight in and line themselves around the street ends to watch the fight. The game also has a wast assortment of mini games that are actually fun. Also the difficulty level of the combat has been increased, atleast when facing story enemies. Also there are more quicktime events in combat, some of which are pretty impressive. The demo itself is pretty long for a demo, lasting out for around 25 minutes if you don`t screw around.

There also was some plot but I barely understood it. Anyway, for those of you who are impatient, here`s a small walkthrough for the demo.

- Enter the club Stardust (blue door right next to where you start).

-Watch cutscene, then fight the yakuzas, the battle ends when you defeat the yakuza in the blue suit with the katana.

-Defeat the Yakuzas, watch cutscene

-Exit Stardust and head for the two pink triangles marked on your map while avoiding the police until you reach an alleyway. Watch the cutscene.

-Fight the foreigners in black suits, but be careful of the bigger one, he has some stronger moves and more health.

Congratulations, you have beaten the Yakuza 3 demo.

Oh yeah, I will defenately import this game along with Ryu Ga Gotoku Kenzan next month, expect my reviews sometime next month or the month after that. Also sorry I had no screenshots.

Watch over the trailer, it doesn’t take that long. If you’ve played the first Mass Effect you may be a bit concerned about the “Status: Killed in Action” that flashes on the screen. Does this suggest that Shepard (the main character from Mass Effect), is dead? I hope not. Shepard is one bad ass dude, at least the Shepard I created is. Still, Well we can see a Geth creature in his suit, which could mean perhaps he’s been captured by the Geth and has been reconstructed as one. That’s just wishful thinking though. One this is for sure though,  if Mass Effect 2 is anything like the first, I’ll be a happy customer.

On a side note, what the hell is up with the whole trend of adding boxes to your logos, I mean first Mirror’s Edge and now Mass Effect 2? Boxes are pretty trendy.

Now that Microsoft owns Rare, and you have Banjo Kazooie on Xbox Live, with Banjo Tooie coming in April, you’d expect there would be some kind of project happening regarding Goldeneye, like there was a project involving Perfect Dark. If you did expect it, you were right, if you didn’t..  well there were plans. Sadly the project was started then aborted due to some shit regarding Nintendo having a sore ass wanting some funds out of it. Of course that has come and pass, and even though I really wish it had happened, there’s not much a person can do about it.

Let’s move on now to Goldeneye Source, a clever remake of Goldeneye made by some fine gentlemen using the Source engine. The beta has already been released, and frankly from what I can see, the remake is amazing. Only multiplayer at the moment, but hell, even that is awesome. There is some speculation that singleplayer may be worked upon in the future, and if this is made true, then my dreams will be fulfilled.

My only worry about this project is that Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation have exclusive rights to the James Bond franchise, and in the past there has been some legal issues with obtaining rights to the franchise. Not to mention that Rare owns intellectual rights to the game itself.  I can tell you this much though, if these gentlemen were to pay royalties to the folks over at the UAC, they’d be paying a pretty penny. Anyhow, here’s to hoping that Goldeneye Source continues grow and develop into more than it already is, and here’s hoping that I buy Half-Life 2 sometime to access it as well as other mods.

Most people remember the monstrosity of StarCraft 64, I remember renting it for my Nintendo 64, and I remember loving the game for being StarCraft but hating how it was done. If you have never paid StarCraft 64 let me tell you this: Don’t. The consoles are a huge deal in RTS games. StarCraft 64 takes good controls and decides add a nice layer of shit upon it. This isn’t about SC 64 though, so let’s get to Halo.

The first thing I noticed about the demo is that the graphics are very well done, and the cutscenes are amazing. This time around we have more story from the Halo world, and we get a better sense of what was going on in the war between the Covenant and the Humans. Story is a major part of an RTS, and from what I’ve taken so far from Halo Wars, it’s not going to be on the short side of the plot stick.

Who cares about graphics and plot though, it’s all about the controls. Here is where the Halo Wars does fairly well! I was expecting to be fumbling with my controller to get simple tasks complete and I was very surprised. Though playing with a mouse and keyboard is infinitely better then a 360 controller, the controls work for the game.

The game itself, well here is where we reach a bit of a bump in the road. See because Halo Wars was built from the ground up for the Xbox 360, you have a more dumbed down RTS experience. Building bases is limited to where it lets you, resources are automated and limited only by how my supply pads you have. The battles feel more battle then strategy, but all and all the demo is actually fun, and that my friends is what it boils down to (for myself anyways).

So final impressions? Halo Wars will be a positive step in console RTS games, I could go as far as to say even some “hardcore” RTS players will grow to like it. It’s only a shame that it may do worse than Halo 3 because the fanbase seems to not have the patience required for an RTS game, then again, that Mythic map pack comes a month early with it. You never know.

February 3, 2009 (360) / February 5, 2009 (PS3)

Thin Lizzy Pack 01 ($5.50 / 440 MSP or $2 / 160 MSP each)

• Thin Lizzy – Boys Are Back In Town (Live)
• Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak (Live)
• Thin Lizzy – Cowboy Song (Live)

Singles ($2 / 160 MSP each)

• Pat Benatar – Hit Me With Your Best Shot
• The Pretenders – Precious

Singles ($1 / 80 MSP each)

• Nikko – Don’t Tell Me
• Nikko – Break My Heart

Videos and tier information after the break.

This week’s giving us some good tracks! Thin Lizzy 01 is three songs from a “new” live album being released this year, but actually recorded in 1977. Everyone knows Hit Me With Your Best Shot, and the other tracks are solid, despite being an album filler song and two Nickelodeon songs.

Thin Lizzy – Boys Are Back In Town (Live)

Album: Still Dangerous – Live At The Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977 (2009)
Full Band: Tier 3
Guitar: Tier 4
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 1
Bass: Tier 4
Notes: Everyone should recognize this song by its opening riff. Should be an amazing guitar song!

Thin Lizzy – Jailbreak (Live)

Album: Still Dangerous – Live At The Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977 (2009)
Full Band: Tier 3
Guitar: Tier 4
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 1
Bass: Tier 2
Notes: This song’s just as good as Boys Are Back, even if you’ve never heard of it. Again, guitar is the highlight.

Thin Lizzy – Cowboy Song (Live)

Album: Still Dangerous – Live At The Tower Theatre Philadelphia 1977 (2009)
Full Band: Tier 3
Guitar: Tier 4
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 3
Bass: Tier 2
Notes: Also not as well-known; also just as good. This one’s a little trickier to sing. Pick up this entire pack!

Pat Benatar – Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Album: Crimes of Passion (1980)
Full Band: Tier 1
Guitar: Tier 3
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 1
Bass: Tier 0
Notes: Guitar should be a bit harder than the cover in Guitar Hero III. Drums have some fun fills. Definitely worth picking up for the “oh, I know that song!” factor.

The Pretenders – Precious

Audio preview @ playlist.com

Album: Pretenders (1980)
Full Band: Tier 2
Guitar: Tier 3
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 5
Bass: Tier 3
Notes: The Pretenders’ label is hardcore about this song not appearing anywhere on YouTube. This song’s vocals will destroy you, though it’s worth singing for the “shitting bricks” line, and the bass is fairly interesting. Drums are annoying in the fast-and-repetitive way, but some of the patterns are all right.

Nikko – Don’t Tell Me

Album: Spectacular! (2009)
Full Band: Tier 2
Guitar: Tier 2
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 2
Bass: Tier 1
Notes: Both of the “Nikko” songs are from am upcoming Nickelodeon (see what they did there?) direct-to-TV movie, making them effectively the same as “Get Your Rock On”, back in August. This one is actually all right, because (or in spite of) a very new-All-American-Rejects-album feel. Get it, it’s only $1.

Nikko – Break My Heart

Album: Spectacular! (2009)
Full Band: Tier 2
Guitar: Tier 3
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 2
Bass: Tier 2
Notes: The lesser of these two songs. A potentially catchy swing beat is ruined by sheer annoyance. Might still be worth getting because it’s $1, though.

Credit to IGN for all tier information. Keep up with the Master Song List to stay updated. See you next week!

Not much is known about the game at this time, except for it obviously being based on the movie, which is loosely based on the anime (and I mean very loosely, if you’ve seen the trailers). The game is slated to be released on April 9, around the same time the movie itself opens in theaters. Namco is set to publish it, and it will be on the PSP only.

Judging from screenshots, it seems more like another Tekken copycat (and a poor looking one at that) instead of the high flying, beam tossing action in the anime games. Then again, Namco is responsible for the Tekken series itself, plus the Soul Calibur line of games, so they may have better chances at making the game seem more attractive at least.

Is anyone else getting flashbacks of the Street Fighter live action movie?

Dawn of War 2

The Dawn of War II beta is here! Well, for some people at least. If you own Dawn of War: Soulstorm on Steam, you get access to a special beta. This beta runs from the 21st of january to the 28th. Then, the beta is open for everybody else.

And is it worth to have Soulstorm on Steam? Well yeah, because Dawn of War II is pretty damn awesome. And the best part? Soulstorm is currently on a special offer, with 75% off! That means it’s only $3,75!

The beta features only the multiplayer mode, with all four factions and their three leaders available. If you didn’t know yet, your can now choose 1 of 3 commanders, and they have a really big impact on how you play. For example, the Space Marines have access to the Force Commander and the Techmarine. The Force Commander is much like in Dawn of War, he smashes and kills aliens. The Techmarine, on the other hand, is much weaker but can place turrets on the battlefield.

And those turrets can turn around the entire game. In DoW2, you cannot build buildings (except by using special abilities). All units are requisitioned from your headquarters, and there are no builder units. Power is no longer gained from generators, but by capturing special power points, that work much like requisition points. Since you can no longer build turrets, the turret special ability changes the entire playstyle of the user. And there are many more examples of this.

Another thing that was changed from DoW is that there are no longer tech upgrades. Instead of researching a tech that boosts the Hitpoints of all your units, now you can upgrade specific squads. This means that unupgraded, your tier 1 units are exactly the same in tier 3, so you have to make sure your upgrade your squads.

So how is the game itself? Well, I tried Eldar as a start, and was disappointed. I was terrible. The Eldar playstyle is changed very much, and I had trouble adapting. One of the problems I had was that my banshee squads died before they even reached the enemy, and my guardians were whiped out faster than in DoW. After a few matches I changed to Tyranids, the new faction, and suddenly my playstyle improved. Since I no longer tried to play the game like it was DoW, I was instantly much better, and once I learned that it is important to actually buy upgrades for your commander I improved a lot as well.

Did I mention this game looks amazing?

The global abilities that are added in DoW2 are interesting, but I keep forgetting them. You slowly gain points that you can use for special abilities (that are dependant on which commander you chose), and some of them make a pretty big impact. For example, the offensive Tyranid commander (Hive Tyrant) has the ability to spawn a building that reinforces nearby Vortigaunts for free. You can imagine the impact this has on the game.

There are still many things to talk about, but I haven’t played enough of the game yet to talk about those. Instead, join the beta yourself! It is worth it.

January 27, 2009 (360) / January 29, 2009 (PS3)

Grateful Dead Pack 02 ($10 / 800 MSP or $2 / 160 MSP each)

• Grateful Dead – Hell In a Bucket
• Grateful Dead – Don’t Ease Me In
• Grateful Dead – Cold Rain and Snow
• Grateful Dead – Doin’ That Rag
• Grateful Dead – Fire On the Mountain
• Grateful Dead – Uncle John’s Band

Videos and tier information after the break.

Everyone’s familiar with the Dead by now, especially after the inclusion of Alabama Getaway on-disc for RB2. This pack will put us up to 13 Dead songs, making them one of the most-represented bands in the Rock Band library. (AC/DC, Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pixies, and The Who all have more songs.) The constant joke is that you have to be stoned off your ass to enjoy their songs, but as Grateful Dead 01 proved, that’s…only partially true. This pack should have at least one download for everyone, unless you’re one of the idiotic metalheads that spams DLC threads with useless drivel. But I digress.

Grateful Dead – Hell In a Bucket

Album: In the Dark (1987)
Full Band: Tier 4
Guitar: Tier 3
Drums: Tier 4
Vocals: Tier 6
Bass: Tier 3
Notes: Tier 6 vocals! Not really like any of our existing GD songs. Drum part sounds very fun.

Grateful Dead – Don’t Ease Me In

Album: Go to Heaven (1980)
Full Band: Tier 3
Guitar: Tier 3
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 1
Bass: Tier 4
Notes: Vaguely like Truckin’. Hopefully its drum chart will be much better.

Grateful Dead – Cold Rain and Snow

Album: The Grateful Dead (1967)
Full Band: Tier 3
Guitar: Tier 2
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 1
Bass: Tier 5
Notes: A very mellow song. Challenging bass part.

Grateful Dead – Doin’ That Rag

Album: Aoxomoxoa (1969)
Full Band: Tier 4
Guitar: Tier 2
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 6
Bass: Tier 4
Notes: More T6 vocals! This one seems pretty drugged out, but solid. Guitar seems okay for a T2.

Grateful Dead – Fire on the Mountain

Album: Shakedown Street (1978)
Full Band: Tier 3
Guitar: Tier 2
Drums: Tier 4
Vocals: Tier 0
Bass: Tier 0
Notes: One of the more radio-friendly songs in this pack. Almost a reggae feel. Very mellow.

Grateful Dead – Uncle John’s Band

Album: Workingman’s Dead (1970)
Full Band: Tier 2
Guitar: Tier 2
Drums: Tier 3
Vocals: Tier 0
Bass: Tier 1
Notes: A lot of people won’t like this one. Kind of a Beatles sound, but not quite. Kind of a “meh” song overall.

Credit to IGN for all tier information. As usual, the Master Song List is available for reference. Check back next week for more DLC previews!

With Free Radical (who is...Ahem, was behind the Battlefront series,) being in trouble, who knows when, or even if Battlefront 3 will come into fruition.

However, if you’re looking for a similar kind of experience in the mean time, Pandemic Studios has been working on Lord of the Rings: Conquest. With unit classes, “Hero” units, and zone capturing galore, it seems to be shaping up as a fun package.

After reading up some info, I downloaded the PS3 version demo of it. Right away, after reading from several sites how it paralleled Battlefront, I immediately saw what they were talking about. Prior to spawning, you could choose from any of the 4 available classes. After picking a zone to spawn at, you’d appear on the map ready for action. Upon death, you were simply returned to the class selection screen, and were able to return to the battlefield after a brief respawn countdown.

Pertaining to the classes themselves, the Warrior, Scout, Archer, and Mage all seemed to have their place on the battlefield, aside from a few balance issues which I hope will be addressed before the game actually hits shelves. (I’m looking at you, Mages!) One gameplay element that stood out to me was the fact that Warrior’s couldn’t swing their sword while moving, while Archer’s could fire arrows, laugh, mock and run circles around you at the same time. As said, we’ll see what changes between now, release, and the future.

YOU...SHALL NOT...PASS!!!

While it seems to be a promising hack n’ slash, the game feels somewhat clunky in its execution and presentation. However, if you’re a fan of the Battlefront series and enjoy the Lord of the Rings universe, I’d give this one a whirl. There’s a demo available via PSN and Xbox Live for the PS3 and Xbox 360, respectively. A PC version will also be released, though there is no demo currently out for it. Look for the full game to be released in the U.S. and Europe this month.

Potential PC buyers may be interested in these minimum system  requirements, which were posted by the Administrator sledgehammer90 on the Pandemic forums.

FOR WINDOWS XP SP2 or Windows Vista
* 2.4 GHz Core Duo processor or equivalent
* 1 GB RAM
* A 256 MB Video Card, with support for Pixel Shader 3.0 – nvidia 7800 or equivelent
* The latest version of DirectX 9.0c
* A DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
* At least 6 GB of hard drive space for installation.