Richard received a BFA from the University of Oklahoma. Foregoing the endless rejection that is the life of an actor, Richard opted instead to follow his true passion, games. Lucky for him, the internet has turned writing about games into a financially viable occupation. Otherwise he would be condemned to a life in hell, also known as community theatre.
It's unclear just how it happened, but this week's Fancast clocks in at almost two hours. It took a long time. Time that we could have spent writing about games. But, you demand podcast goodness and we must oblige, so prepare for a mountain of emails about underage gaming, the Japanese game industry, delicious dessert islands and more. We also take some time to discuss the NPD numbers and, of course, Starship Troopers.
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The following is an excerpt from the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Free Movie Pass," which many scholars believe to be apocryphal. Joystiq makes no claims regarding its authenticity and presents it purely for the sake of the information contained within.
"The case of the free movie pass is quite simple," said Sherlock Holmes. "In order to procure a free ticket to see the film Sherlock Holmes -- a film from the future based on my past exploits -- one must do the following. First, select one of a myriad of Xbox 360 products listed on this Best Buy offer site. Following this, simply select the 'Sherlock Holmes Movie Pack' and it will be added to one's cart, gratis.
"Said pack will grant the purchaser one free pass to see the aforementioned film, so long as the ticket price does not exceed $12. In addition to said ticket, one will also receive a Sherlock Holmes outfit for his Xbox 360 Avatar," concluded Holmes.
"Brilliant!" said Watson.
"Not at all," said, Holmes, "It was logic, nothing more."
Sega has released a demo of Vancouver 2010 - The Official Video Game of the Olympic Winter Games. We're not sure about the gameplay, but the title definitely deserves a medal. Come on, it has the word "game" in it twice. As for the demo, it has a sample of one of the Olympic sim's fourteen different modes, as well as the Landing Zone challenge. If you think your well-trained thumbs are up to the task, the demo can be yours for only 684MB of free space.
ZaaM IT, creator of the Halo 3 and ODSTarmorgenerators, is at it again, this time with a nifty app for Windows Mobile devices. Called WM Live, the application allows users to sync up their Xbox Live friends lists and check out their own stats as well as those of their friends. The app shows user Avatars, gamercards, and game history, so you'll be able to keep track of what your friends have been up to from just about anywhere.
Best of all, the app is free, so there's really no reason not to pick it up if you have a Windows Mobile device. Also, since it complies with the Xbox Community Developers Program, it will never get pulled. Keep in mind that it's still in beta, though ZaaM IT plans to acquire feedback and improve the application in later releases.
Flatly rejecting the holiday spirit of giving, Microsoft has released a new collection of premium Avatar items. As you may have guessed, the items have a holiday theme. The collection encompasses a large range of items from New Year's hats to dashikis to dreidels. Microsoft has even released the traditional ugly Christmas sweater, even going so far as to title it "Ugly Sweater." That's right, you can spend real money on a digital version of the worst possible present you could receive.
The only thing more depressing is knowing that people will actually buy it.
Have you been hoping, nay, dreaming of snagging one of the Tekken 6arcade stick bundles but have been hesitant to plunk down the $150 asking price? This post is for you then, as Amazon has positively slashed the price of the bundle on both PS3 and 360 version, knocking them down to a paltry $78. Seventy-eight bones! That's only $18 bucks more than your average game and it includes the Tekken 6 Hori arcade stick to boot.
If you, or the digital pugilist in your life, haven't picked this up yet, it probably won't get much cheaper than this.
Major Nelson has revealed that two new demos are available on Xbox Live Marketplace. The first is Guitar Hero: Van Halen. It's like Guitar Hero, but with Van Halen in it. At this point, if you need more description than that we can't really help you. The demo is available in all regions.
The other demo is for Crash Time 3. Honestly, how that game ever made it past Crash Time 1 is a mystery we will never solve. The demo is available in European regions only. You can add either demo to your 360 download queue by clicking the links below.
Rare has posted some new screenshots of the upcoming Xbox Live Arcade remake of Perfect Dark. If you're looking at the above screen and thinking it doesn't look too hot, you aren't alone. Fret not, however, as this is a shot from the original game. After the break, you can see what the wizards at Rare have done to beautify the original.
Once you finish marveling at its majesty, check out another screenshot and some new art in the gallery below.
After promising to reveal the December Lips DLC last week, we finally manged to wrangle a list from Microsoft. As is usually the case with Lips, the collection is runs everywhere from pop to Motown to ... wait, They Might Be Giants? And Violent Femmes? Truly, the Lips programming schedule is a mysterious thing.
The entire list is located after the break, though we'll save you some suspense: Paula Abdul and The Temptations fans have a lot to be excited about. In fact, the Temptations tracks, as well as Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer's "Baby It's Cold Outside" are available now.
The Xbox 360 Fancast is back from our Turkey Day Vay-cay, and now it's time for some good, old-fashioned talkin' about games. We've got a ton of news to go over and lots of fanmail too. On top of that, we revisit the topic of Left 4 Dead 2's difficulty level. As if that weren't enough, hear us rant and rave about the movies that defined a generation. Download it, listen to it and make good life choices.
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Update: The demo is now on Xbox Live Marketplace. You can add it to your Xbox 360 download queue here.
So, there are two bits of news in this particular post. They are complementary: one should really help you with the other. First, Playlogic has announced that the price for Fairytale Fights has been cut in both Europe and North America. Checking Amazon and GameStop, it looks like the US price has been dropped to $39.99. That's a pretty significant cut, nearly 30%. We're not sure what the cut is for European regions, though Play.com has marked the title from £39.99 to £29.99.
Now, the second piece of news: A demo for Fairytale Fights is now available on the PSN in North America. According to Playlogic, there's a demo on Xbox Live Marketplace as well, though it doesn't appear to be available right now (we'll update this post if it shows up). A demo is expected for Europe on December 10. The reason this second piece of news is so important is that the demo will help you realize that the game still isn't worth the asking price. See? Pretty helpful.
Team17 has announced that the first episode of its upcoming shooter, Alien Breed Evolution, will arrive on Xbox Live Arcade on Wednesday, December 16. The first of three planned episodes, the game will offer both single-player and co-op play. Team17 revealed earlier this year that each episode would contain a prologue and five full levels, lasting roughly five to eight hours altogether. Each episode will also include a cooperative battle mode. The first episode has been priced at 800 ($10).
Check out a new trailer above, new screens below, and episode one videos after the break.
With Lips: Number One Hits just hitting retail shelves in October, Microsoft has now announced yet another edition of the game, this time themed around party songs. Entitled Lips: Party Classics, it features catchy tunes by the likes of Chumbawamba, Kiss, Spice Girls and, yes, the Village People. Party Classics will contain a total of 40 songs and launch in spring 2010.
In other Lips news, Microsoft has released a Facebook app that allows users to plaster lips onto their pictures. The lips will then proceed to sing one of a number of tracks from Lips. Look at the image above and imagine that the lips are singing "Barbie Girl." That should give you a decent approximation of what to expect. See a sampling of the Party Classics track list after the break.
Here's a friendly little reminder for all the climax action fans out there: The previously announcedBayonetta demo has arrived on Xbox Live Marketplace. We've been able to spend some time with the demo, and it's probably safe to say that Devil May Cry and Ninja Gaiden players out there have something to look forward to. But you don't have to take out word for it, because you can try it yourself. Amazing world we live in, isn't it?
Update: As some commenters have pointed out, it looks like the deals are no longer available. We hope you managed to snag one.
We bet you were really hoping to not spend an extra five dollars today. We're sure you thought to yourself that you've got plenty of games to play and, honestly, what could you buy with five bucks anyway? The answer: Worms 2: Armageddon on Xbox Live Arcade. The good people at CheapCollegeGamers have uncovered a pair of great deals on Amazon. First and foremost, Worms 2 is available for a paltry $5, fifty percent off the usual $10 price tag. If you don't have it already, it would be crazy not to buy it at that price.
Amazon is also offering Puzzle Quest: Galactrix at a discounted price of $10, half of the normal $20 cost. Granted, it's not quite as easy to recommend Galactrix as Worms 2, but $10 is a much more palatable price. Now go buy Worms 2.
{ 19 hours ago } 
Flatly rejecting the holiday spirit of giving, Microsoft has released a new collection of premium Avatar items. As you may have guessed, the items have a holiday theme. The collection encompasses a large range of items from New Year's hats to dashikis to dreidels. Microsoft has even released the traditional ugly Christmas sweater, even going so far as to title it "Ugly Sweater." That's right, you can spend real money on a digital version of the worst possible present you could receive.
($10).
