Sega confirmed that Yakuza 4 would be released on March 15 in North America, and on March 18 in Europe. Source

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Yakuza 4 Release Dates Confirmed

Neil Patrick Harris hosted the 2010 Video Game Awards last night on Spike TV. The show was exciting, for me anyway, mainly because of the many game trailers they premiered at the show. I was however surprised and disappointed by a few of the winners. Game of the Year, went to the much deserved Red Dead Redemption, beating out the most nominated game Mass Effect 2, Halo: Reach, God of War III, and Call of Duty: Black Ops . Red Dead Redemption itself had nine nominations, including Best PS3 Game, Best Action Adventure Game, Best Graphics and Best Original Score. A new category this year was the Character of the Year, with the win going to Sgt. Frank Woods of Call of Duty: Black Ops. How he beat out John Marston, from Red Dead Redemption is beyond me. He even beat out Kratos! Best PS3 Game went to God of War III, which also won for Best Graphics. The other nominees for Best PS3 Game were Heavy Rain, ModNation Racers, and Red Dead Redemption, the only non-exclusive in the list. What do you think? Were your picks chosen? The full list of nominations and winners can be found after the jump. 2010 Spike Video Game Award Nominees & * Winners Game of the Year * Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego) Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision/Treyarch) God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica) Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios) Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare) Studio of the Year * BioWare Blizzard Entertainment Bungie Studios Rockstar San Diego Character of the Year * Sgt. Frank Woods, Call of Duty: Black Ops Ezio, Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Best Dressed winner) Kratos, God of War III (Biggest Badass winner) John Marston, Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego) Best Xbox 360 Game * Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare) Alan Wake (Microsoft/Remedy) Fable III (Microsoft/Lionhead Studios) Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios) Best PS3 Game * God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica) Heavy Rain (Sony Computer Entertainment/Quantic Dream) ModNation Racers (Sony Computer Entertainment/United Front Games) Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego) Best Wii Game * Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo/Nintendo) Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo/Retro Studios) Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Nintendo/Good-Feel) Metroid: Other M (Nintendo/Team Ninja/Nintendo) Best PC Game * StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment) Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda Softworks/Obsidian Entertainment) Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare) Sid Meier’s Civilization V (2K Games/Firaxis) Best Handheld Game * God of War: Ghost of Sparta (Sony Computer Entertainment / Ready At Dawn Studios) Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (Konami / Kojima Productions) Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (Nintendo/ Level-5) Super Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment / 5th Cell) Best Shooter * Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision/Treyarch) Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Electronic Arts/DICE) BioShock 2 (2K Games/2K Marin) Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios) Best Action Adventure Game * Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal) God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica) Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego) Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo/Nintendo) Best RPG * Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare) Fable III (Microsoft/Lionhead Studios) Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda Softworks/Obsidian Entertainment) Final Fantasy XIII (Square Enix/Square Enix) Best Multiplayer Game * Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios) Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (Electronic Arts/DICE) Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision/Treyarch) StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (Blizzard Entertainment/Blizzard Entertainment) Best Individual Sports Game * Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (Electronic Arts/EA Tiburon) EA Sports MMA (Electronic Arts/EA Tiburon) Shaun White Skateboarding (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal) UFC Undisputed 2010 (THQ/Yuke’s Media Creations) Best Team Sports Game * NBA 2K11 (2K Sports/Visual Concepts) FIFA Soccer 11 (Electronic Arts/EA Canada) Madden NFL 11 (Electronic Arts/EA Tiburon) MLB ’10: The Show (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios San Diego) Best Driving Game * Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (Electronic Arts/Criterion Games) Blur (Activision/Bizarre Creations) ModNation Racers (Sony Computer Entertainment/United Front Games) Split/Second (Disney Interactive Studios/Black Rock Studio) Best Music Game * Rock Band 3 (MTV Games/Harmonix) Dance Central (MTV Games/Harmonix) DJ Hero 2 (Activision Publishing/FreeStyleGames) Def Jam Rapstar (Konami/Autumn Games / 4mm Games) Best Soundtrack * DJ Hero 2 (Activision/FreeStyleGames) Def Jam Rapstar (Konami/Autumn Games /4mm Games) Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock (Activision/Neversoft Entertainment) Rock Band 3 (MTV Games/Harmonix) Best Song in a Game * “Far Away” by José González ( Red Dead Redemption ) “Basket Case” by Green Day ( Green Day Rock Band ) “Black Rain” by Soundgarden ( Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock ) “Goldeneye” by Nicole Scherzinger ( GoldenEye 007 ) “Replay/Rude Boy Mashup” by Iyaz & Rihanna ( DJ Hero 2 ) “Won’t Back Down” by Eminem ( Call of Duty: Black Ops ) Best Original Score * Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego) God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica) Halo: Reach (Microsoft/Bungie Studios) Mass Effect 2 (Electronic Arts/BioWare) Best Graphics * God of War III (Sony Computer Entertainment/SCE Studios Santa Monica) Heavy Rain (Sony Computer Entertainment/Quantic Dream) Kirby’s Epic Yarn (Nintendo/Good-Feel) Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego) Best Adapted Video Game * Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal/Ubisoft Chengdu) LEGO: Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner Bros. Interactive/Traveller’s Tales) Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions (Activision/Beenox) Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (LucasArts/LucasArts) Transformers: War for Cybertron (Activision/High Moon Studios) Best Performance by a Human Male * Neil Patrick Harris as Peter Parker/Amazing Spider-Man ( Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions /Activision) Daniel Craig as James Bond ( James Bond 007: Blood Stone /Activision) Gary Oldman as Sgt. Reznov ( Call of Duty: Black Ops /Activision) John Cleese as Jasper ( Fable III /Microsoft) Martin Sheen as Illusive Man ( Mass Effect 2 /Electronic Arts) Nathan Fillion as Sergeant Edward Buck ( Halo: Reach /Microsoft) Rob Wiethoff as John Marston ( Red Dead Redemption /Rockstar Games) Sam Worthington as Alex Mason ( Call of Duty: Black Ops /Activision) Best Performance by a Human Female * Tricia Helfer as Sarah Kerrigan ( StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty /Blizzard Entertainment) Dame Judi Dench as M ( James Bond 007: Blood Stone /Activision) Danica Patrick as Herself ( Blur /Activision) Emmanuelle Chriqui as The Numbers Lady ( Call of Duty: Black Ops /Activision) Felicia Day as Veronica ( Fallout: New Vegas /Bethesda Softworks) Jennifer Hale as Commander Sheppard ( Mass Effect 2 /Electronic Arts) Kristen Bell as Lucy Stillman ( Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood /Ubisoft) Yvonne Strahovski as Miranda Lawson ( Mass Effect 2 /Electronic Arts) Best Downloadable Game * Costume Quest (THQ/Double Fine Productions) Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light (Square Enix/Crystal Dynamics) Monday Night Combat (Uber Entertainment/Uber Entertainment) Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game (Ubisoft/Ubisoft Montreal/ Ubisoft Chengdu) Best DLC * Red Dead Redemption – Undead Nightmare (Rockstar Games/Rockstar San Diego) BioShock 2: Minerva’s Den (2K Games/2K Marin) Borderlands: The Secret Armory of General Knoxx (2K Games/Gearbox Software) Mass Effect 2: Lair of the Shadow Broker (Electronic Arts/BioWare) Best Independent Game * Limbo (PlayDead) Joe Danger (Hello Games) Super Meat Boy (Team Meat) The Misadventures of P.B. Winterbottom (The Odd Gentleman) Most Anticipated Game * Portal 2 (Valve/Valve) Batman: Arkham City (Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment/Rocksteady Studios) BioShock: Infinite (2K Games/Irrational Games) Gears of War 3 (Microsoft/Epic Games) Source  as well as SpikeTV

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Spike’s Video Game Award 2010 Winners

General Information We have a double header for you guys today. First, I’ll start off by announcing a Gran Turismo 5 photo contest. The contest will be divided up into 4 categories: Action, Multi-Car, Hangtime, Studio. More details for that contest are available on the tab. The second deal will be the tournament, with the prize car being the Race-Modded 2010 ZR1 Corvette pictured above. I chose this because it’s a very fast, very good handling car. I will buy the Race Mod, as well as all the upgradeable parts (and do some basic tuning). With that in mind, if you’re interested in joining the tournament, read that tab! There, you can read the tournament requirements, and the track details, etc. It’s going to be pretty in-depth, but also fair, as it will have a lot of restrictions in place to make the field as even as possible. Photo Contest This particular contest will run from now until December 16th . At that point, each category will be made into a poll for you guys to vote on. The voting will take place from December 16th through Sunday evening. Entries will be limited to one per category, with a maximum of 2 categories. You can replace an entry if you so choose. Here are the prizes for that (on a per-category basis): 100 Points 50 Points 25 Points So, what were the categories again, and what do they entail? Action: These would be those taken on a race track, showing some intense racing and/or creative driving. Examples would be drifting and wrecking, or just some showboating in snapshot form. Multi-Car: These would be shots that show at least 2 cars racing each other. Could be an overtake, a forced spinout, or a shot of cars grouped together, fighting for first. Hangtime: Simple explanation. Shots of cars getting air. There are plenty of tracks where this is possible, but my favorite is on Cape Ring before you enter the circle . Studio: These are, of course, reserved for Premium cars, but take place in the actual Photo Mode. Usually, these are the best looking shots, too, with more locations opening as you perform certain tasks. Now, to take photos from races, you will need to go into the replay, pause the replay, and go to Photo Mode from there. The same settings are available, but you’re limited to how close you can get to a standard model car. In order to enter that contest, reply to this thread with a link to the picture, as well as the proposed category for the image! Tournament This is the big deal here. This is our first-ever tournament for any game to my knowledge. We will be hosting this race on December 26th at 8PM GMT (3PM Eastern, 12PM Pacific). I have it set for this time to make it available over multiple territories. Only registered blog members please. Driver entries will need to be put in by December 20th so I can list the racers taking place and any advancement rules if needed. But first, here are the prizes: 500 Points plus the ’10 Corvette ZR1 400 Points 300 Points 200 Points 100 Points With that said, it will also have, as mentioned previously, a lot of restrictions in the interest of fairness. For starters, the image above is an exact representation of the car you guys will be racing. So, we will start with the car requirements: 1996 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IV GSR (30,000 Credits at Mitsubishi dealership) Horsepower is limited to 355 Weight is limited to 1220kg Tires limited to Sports Soft Suspension and drivetrain upgrades are open Car was chosen because it’s relatively inexpensive. Suspension/transmission/etc are open because I can’t track those anyway. Given that fact, I would recommend getting a racing suspension and transmission, as others will likely do the same. There will be a total of 5 races. In the event participation exceeds the 10 entrants mark, we will have to set up two different groups and basically have a semi-final and a final (which will result in 10 races total). I don’t really expect to see more than 20 entrants, but if it happens, it happens and I will make adjustments accordingly. As for advancement, that will have to be determined after we have a confirmed driver list. but here is how point standings will go for each place: 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 After each race, these race points will be applied to the drivers. The driver with the highest accumulation of points will either advance to the next round, or win the tournament (depending on number of racers). Here are the tracks we will be using (at 5 laps a piece): Finals Fuji Speedway F Trial Mountain Laguna Seca Cape Ring Peripherary Circuit de la Sarthe 2009 (with weather and time change) In the event we need more than one round, the first round will be these following tracks (with 5 laps each): If Needed Deep Forest Raceway Cote d’ Azur Special Stage Route 5 Suzuka Circuit Autumn Ring Now, for some other special rules. First, all assists will be turned off. Grip reduction will be set to realistic. Penalties will be set to strong. After the first initial races, race grids will be set to the slowest person first. I will not be participating in the race itself, but I am hosting it, and will spectate the race(s), as well as track winners myself and everything. In order to do this, you need to add me to PSN. My PSN ID is JimmyMagnum . In order for me to know who you are, and for you to be entered into the tournament, just send me a friend request and tell me your member name on this site, as well as leave a reply here with your PSN ID, too. If we do need more than one round, I will let you guys know via PSN Message when your round is ready to begin so you can start joining in.

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GT5 Tournament and Photo Contest!

Black Friday is fast approaching, so I bet you have some cash on your hands that you want well spent. Looking for a few cool deals? Leaked images show that GameStop might be a good place to go for the post-Thanksgiving splurgefest. The supposedly leaked ad to the left indicates that you can get either  Madden NFL 11 or  Medal of Honor for free if you get yourself a 4GB Xbox 360. For the Wii, it’s even better: if you get a black or white Wii, you get the first  Just Dance ,  Wii Sports Resort , and  Wii Sports all for free. The PS3, on the other hand, goes God of War: buying a 160GB and you get  God of War III and God of War Collection for free. Other attractive pickups include a limited Edition Orange or Green DSi w/ Mario Party DS for US$169.99, and a PSP pack with  LBP PSP , a UMD of The Karate Kid movie, and a 2(?) GB memstick Pro Duo. You can also get older titles like  UFC Undisputed 2010 and  Final Fantasy XIII for just US$ 19.99. [via  Kotaku ]

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Black Friday Deals From GameStop Leaked

Prize Details and Contest Info Remember back at E3, Sony announced that partnership with Coke? I don’t know about you, but I never heard or seen anything come to fruition from that. Until now. What started on November 1st was Coca-Cola’s instant win contest (which will run through December 31st), where a majority of the prizes are Sony products, or third party games for the PS3. The prizes include: Grand Prize 1 PS3 120GB system 2 Move Controllers 1 PlayStation Eye Camera 1 Game (Sports Champions, TRON, NBA 2K11, or EA Sports Active 2) First Prize 2 Move Controllers 1 PlayStation Eye Camera 1 Game Each day, there will be 2 Grand Prize winners and 48 First Prize winners. Check the other tab for some more information. More Information and Rules No. of My Coke Rewards Points to Enter: 6 Start Date: November 1, 2010 End Date: December 31, 2010 Game Instructions: There will be 3,050 random, computer-generated winning times, during the Promotion Period. To play the Instant Win Game, follow the links and instructions to navigate to the Instant Win Game. Click “Next” and pick up the PlayStation® Move motion controller and shake it at the on-screen snow globe. If the on-screen messaging indicates “winner”, you will be a potential instant winner. 122 Grand Prizes (awarded 2 per day): A PS3™ 120GB System, 2 Playstation®Move motion controllers, a Playstation®Eye camera, and your choice of 1 of the following games: Sports Champions, Tron, NBA 2K11, or EA SPORTS™ Active 2. Approximate Retail Value (“ARV”): up to $539.95. 2,928 First Prizes (awarded 48 per day): 2 Playstation®Move motion controllers, a Playstation®Eye, and your choice of 1 of the following games: Sports Champions, Tron, NBA 2K11, or EA SPORTS™ Active. ARV: up to $239.96. Limit: 1 prize per person. The ARV of electronic prizes is subject to price fluctuations in the consumer marketplace based on, among other things, any gap in time between the date the ARV is estimated for purposes of these Official Rules and the date the prize is awarded or redeemed. Check the Contest Here!

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Coca-Cola Instant Win Contest!

This image was posted over at the Playstation.Blog to give us some stats which we can season with some salt and pepper to spice up the hype: Sony promises more stats (Oh, glorious Joy!) during the week when the Sports Champions team shares some of their numbers. So, did it convince any of you to run out and buy a Move ASAP?

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Playstation Move: It Only Does Stats

This Week Activity slowed down a bit last week (as in the actual last week, since I was a week late on posting this), except the QuickNews section, where Oly and EdEN were in a post war with a bunch of unnecessary articles . Who was the victor? They got the same number, so I guess it depends on how you look at it. Anyway, enough of that. Some of last week’s highlights include the PS Store getting updated on a Monday, end everyone complained because it was very late in the day when it finally did come up because no one is ever completely satisfied. People are having issues with some 2008-model MadCatz controllers (and a number of fake controllers) since the new firmware update. JCMoorehead talked about Play, Create, Share and how it might influence future gaming. And on that subject, LBP2 has been confirmed to be delayed, as rumors began spreading. Toys R Us has an EyePet Move bundle available (it’s exclusive to them, though). Trev and killburn37 gave us their thoughts on Ghost of Sparta and Sports Champions respectively. Be sure to check out some of the trailers as well (there’s always a handful of those anyway). Oly posted a bunch of LBP2 beta videos, and they’re definitely worth watching. Trev has also posted an article of a tear-down of the Move controller, so if you’re curious about that, check that out, too. Community News Alright, so there are a couple new things on the site. For starters, there is a new forum for the PlayStation Move, so all talk of the controller should be in there. Tosh has also added a timezone feature to your profiles . If you haven’t done so already, there’s a bunch of stuff you can put in there, but most of it’s optional. Winners for the Move giveaway were announced the other day, and that was about the only contest we had running. I will show the winners list on this week’s recap, though. Hopefully everyone will enjoy their prizes! 29 Articles // 25 QuickNews Contributor of the Week Oly – 8 Entries QuickNews Contributor of the Week Oly & EdEN – 11 Entries Each Most Liked Oly – LBP 2 Beta Community is Live and Look at What They Have Made!! – 6 Likes Most Comments Sakinah – PSN Store Update Tonight Due to Maintenance – 26 Comments Gaming News Sony Files Motion to have “Other OS” Case Dismissed Eddie – September 19th PSN Store Update Tonight Due to Maintenance Sakinah – September 20th PSP2 in the Hands of Developers, To Target Younger Audiences? Sakinah – September 20th COD: Black Ops / Gamestop Viral Site Goes Live Oly – September 20th UK’s OPM Reveals More About Batman Arkham City Eddie – September 22nd Sony Begins Barring Counterfeit/Unlicensed Controllers Jay – September 24th Play, Create, Share – The future of gaming? JCMoorehead – September 21st The Perils of Clamshell Packaging Trev – September 24th Fallout: New Vegas Dev Diary Oly – September 20th Sony Loves the Kinect Comparison Ace – September 20th Sony Responds to Little Big Planet 2 Delay Rumors Sakinah – September 22nd Confirmed: Little Big Planet 2 Delayed Until 2011 Sakinah – September 23rd New Move Bundle Announced EdEN – September 22nd PS+ Is About to Be Bombarded with Goodies Oly – September 22nd New Red Dead Multiplayer Mode Gibb – September 19th God of War Ghost of Sparta PSP Preview Trev – September 19th Playstation Move: Sports Champions Impressions killburn37 – September 20th F1 2010 Launch Trailer Trev – September 21st BioShock Infinite Gameplay Video Trev – September 21st LBP 2 Beta Community is Live and Look at What They Have Made!! Oly – September 21st More LBP2 Beta Goodness Oly – September 23rd LittleBigPlanet 2 Effects Darrin – September 24th Explodemon! Debut Trailer Jay – September 24th Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode 1 – Casino Street Zone Oly – September 24th Rockband Tracks 50% off on the PSN!! Oly – September 20th Get Deathspank: Thongs of Virtue Tonight, Free DLC Commands You! EdEN – September 20th Let’s take a look inside the Move Trev – September 20th PlayStation: The Official Magazine has Undegone a Complete Redesign Oly – September 21st Move Controller Spotted at Singapore GP Trev – September 24th QuickNews Talk like a Pirate. Play like a Pirate EdEN – September 19th Parasite Eve 3rd Birthday Hands On EdEN – September 19th Borderlands Level Caps Will Be Increasing in a Patch Oly – September 20th Marvel vs Capcom Event in Chicago this Wed. Oly – September 20th Ubisoft Massive is Hiring for a First Person Shooter Online Game Oly – September 20th Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Demo to PS+ Users Tonight Oly – September 20th Blade Kitten Launches Tonight on PSN! Oly – September 20th Fabula Nova Crystallis Conference Eddie – September 21st The DJ Hero 2 song list is now available EdEN – September 21st Mafia II Review from Kombo EdEN – September 21st Scott Pilgrim vs the World gets an extra life on Bluray EdEN – September 21st CNN Move Review: “How Move is better than the Wii” Oly – September 21st Rumor: Little Big Planet 2 Delayed Until 2011 Eddie – September 22nd New Move enabled game hits retail EdEN – September 22nd This is Jordan. This is Jordan in your 2K11 EdEN – September 22nd RUSE reviewed over at Kombo EdEN – September 23rd Shadow of the Colossus Movie In Development Oly – September 23rd Red Dead Redemption Zombie Undead Nightmare Pack Info Oly – September 23rd Battle vs. Chess Delayed Until Oct. 26th Oly – September 23rd Red Dead Redemption Multiplayer Has Double XP All Weekend Oly – September 24th Team Ico Interview over at PlaystationBlog EdEN – September 24th 3D Dot Game Heroes: Now with 100% more official Sackboy support EdEN – September 24th Kung Fu Rider Review at Kombo EdEN – September 24th New Yakuza 4 Screens Released Oly – September 24th MAG Joins the PS3’s Greatest Hits Sakinah – September 25th Play With Us There was talk on the last recap of a possible Warhawk game night. If we are to set one up, what would be the best time and day to do so? Thank You Thanks for reading the recap. Yeah, it was another late one, but I’m gonna get started on this week’s today and hopefully have it up tonight, which will be the first time in a while.

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The Weekly Recap (September 19th-25th)

Football has always been a big part of my life, from Sunday league kick abouts where my team lost every game 15-2 to playing FIFA on the Mega Drive and Pro Evo on Playstation. I’ve grown up with it and now look forward to this time of year when the next FIFA and PES roll out to get my next football fix. So with FIFA 11 out this week let’s kick off, to use a footballing Clichy (sorry) and see if FIFA 11 can improve on the already great FIFA 10. Straight away in the arena kick about you can notice the difference, changing direction whilst dribbling feels freer and no two shots at goal are ever the same with so many new animations added. Passing is now not just a simple button press, it now needs to be thought about with both direction and power now something to be considered. This eliminates the ping-pong passing complaint from the last two FIFAs as you now have to work the ball up field. This can result in sluggish encounters however as both teams wrestle to control the ball but it is a change for the better more realistic game of football that gets easier with practice. The other major complaint was goalkeepers were too easy to lob either because they charged off their line or the lob shot was effective, this has been rectified with better keeper positioning and lob shots being very difficult to get on target. The A.I. has been totally revamped making single player a much more varied experience, they don’t always pass a kick off straight back, and they close down short free kicks and are able to pull of skill moves. This will catch you completely by surprise when it first happens and you’ll wonder why they were never able to before; it definitely has a favourite the 360 spin though. Not only are your opponents better but also your team mates with full backs like Evra and Lahm happy to romp down the wing and overlap as well as players switching positions. During my Be a Pro career mode for Barcelona it was much more noticeable as I regularly found myself switching flanks with Messi and Villa as we pull the defence apart. One fault I had with A.I. was my defenders running into each other but that could just as easily be my fault for making too many players press. Defenders now will do everything they can to head the ball back stooping their head instead of just using their feet but keepers can still be sluggish to stop balls from going out. Personality+ is a big new feature with players being more individual and having trademarks such as Crouch is an Aerial threat and [insert Poacher or Crosser example]. It also makes an impact on the visuals with players being visibly taller and broader representing their real life counter parts that much more. They even have similar running styles with Ronaldo and Robben moving much like they do in real life. It really brings FIFA 11 to life and bigger players are now more capable of dispossessing weaker ones so defenders physical stats actually make a difference. A big frustration with FIFA 10 was that speedy players could dominate and people would put fast wingers as defenders and they would somehow be stronger than a big centre forward but that doesn’t work any more. Long ball passes are now much more effective where as before they would loop just the same as a clearance they can now be drilled across the field Gerrard style. But because of their lower ground clearance you have to be careful as they can be intercepted. There are even more skill moves and are just as hard to pull off as ever although my opponents online don’t seem to have too much trouble bamboozling me with them… The major single player change is Career Mode; instead of Manager or Be a Pro modes there is now one condensed Career, where you can choose to be a player, player manager or manager. As manager you can simulate matches as well as play whilst in player mode you can control either your one player or the whole team. The front end has been given a overhaul similar to 2010 World Cups in that it now features news stories and information about other teams as well as your own, it helps you to indulge yourself into the season and really keep tabs on everything that is happening but can slow progress a little with more screens to click through than is really necessary. Taking on a career as a player through up unexpected surprises after starting every pre season game I then found the manager leaving me out of the first team and getting the odd chance when picked to impress and keep my position. You also get tired and left out of matches to rest up a nice realistic feature although you never seem to get a serious injury nor will you ever get substituted in a match unless you request it. The career mode also gets rid of any bugs in 10 with games taking place at appropriate times of day and weather that changes with the seasons other teams’ transfers can still be a bit silly though but then that’s part of the charm. Strangely the European cups are not present during the 1st season still and the International selection and world cup seem to have disappeared. The biggest new addition is Be a Goalkeeper mode, yep you can now stand behind the sticks and do nothing all game and make one mistake and your team loses, seriously though it’s better than you might think it would be. You perform saves by using the right stick and pressing which way you want to dive which works perfectly but what makes this mode really work is the visual indicators. First up there is a correct position marker an O that donates the best position to be in to cover the goal. But it’s the ball trajectory which is the most useful showing a trail where the ball traveled and where it will travel, it’s not over done and helps you to read the game which would be much more difficult without it. It still can’t stop you from getting bored though as when playing for a good team the ball spend the majority of the match at the opposite end, EA have tried to counter this by allowing you to dictate passes to your team-mates but it never fully alleviates the dead time. But this is not necessarily a fault more just that there is a reason why everyone swaps being in goal when playing down the park and that’s because it’s boring and allows you to have a rest. Other new additions are the ability to save replays locally (it’s like Pro Evo on the PSOne!), crowd chants and music can be imported and you can even change the nets style. The drooped net looks particularly awful with its stretched out squares though. There is also a creation centre on their website where you can create your own teams and kits but all of these feel like gimmicks just to add to the back of the box or for pre order incentives. FIFA 11 has tightened up in most areas with smoother frame rates during match intros with new scenes such as player entrances, menus load much faster which helps to remove some frustrations as button responses are a little quicker, load times can chug a little though but it’s never a pain or anything to worry about. Unfortunately though there is a frequent stutter present, this affects both on and offline play where the game freezes for a good 2 seconds during a match and can happen a few times. This is most frustrating if it happens at a critical moment forcing you to not time your shot, pass or tackle as it doesn’t respond to any button presses during the freeze. So is FIFA 11 better than FIFA 10? It certainly has a better feature set with the new career mode, which touch wood has removed all the game breaking bugs. The Personality+ helps bring the game on immensely, it is a lot more realistic in terms of how matches pan out and multiplayer resolves in a lot closer scoring matches. You definitely have to create your scoring opportunities and scoring feels a lot more rewarding for doing so. It does make it a harder to pick up and play though as games can get bogged down with a midfield tussle but I feel it accurately recreates the sport rather than ruins the game. It certainly a lot less arcadey than 10 and all the better for it, definitely worth picking up if you want a football game, Konami’s Pro Evolution series is going to have to pick up its game a lot as FIFA has just reconsolidated its place as the king of football games. *A review copy was sent to the reviewer for reviewing purposes by EA. All single player modes were tested including a full season as player and half as manager. Online was also tested using the free 7 day pass including team play and head to head matches.

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FIFA 11 Review

CNN reviewed the Move and agrees with most the it is better than the Wii. The review does give a nod to Sports Champions and the Eye Pet, however stated that in general the release games are lacking. Below are some highlights, but read the whole thing here . “Sony’s answer to the motion-control trend in gaming offers three advantages over Nintendo’s technology: First, the controls are more accurate. The Move picks up motion more precisely than the Wii, and it tracks motion in a 3-D space — so if you step back while playing a ping pong game, the game makes your character step back from a virtual ping pong table. Second, the Move puts you in the game to a greater degree than the Wii. Because it’s a camera-based system, many games on the Move can put you in the game. For example, you can see yourself on the screen in Start the Party and EyePet. Third, the PS3 Move offers high-definition graphics for a more photo-realistic experience over the Wii’s standard-definition visuals.”

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CNN Move Review: “How Move is better than the Wii”

Victory Pose for beating All Bronze Challenges  Well, after a LONG wait at work to get home and play with my Move it has finally happened. As I mentioned before I picked up the bundle, plus the extra controller. I have got to say, this is the most immersive gaming experience to date. I understand Wii was the “originator” and I’m not hating on Wii, I love my Wii. But with that said, the graphics are incredible. There is a slightly longer load time than with the Wii, however it is very worth it. I have tried out all 6 sports on the Sports Champions disc, and I personally must say I am very impressed. Table Tennis was fun, yet more difficult than the Wii Sports Resort. The Gladiator Duel was AWESOME. Every game of Bocce I played won me 3 stars! I don’t know if bocce is a very well known game, I only know of it because my grandparents used to play it at there Jim Beam Bottle Club Meetings, and I have always loved it. But it is a nice addition to this game. I like the fact that you can spin the ball completely  on six-axis, including forward to make the ball go very fast. Volley ball was a little more difficult for me, however it was very fun, and I did win, but with only 1 star. I kept smashing my thumbs between the controllers Disc golf was tough, it’s hard to hold the controller level, aim, and toss all at the same time. I think a peripheral for disc golf would be nice so I could judge how level i was actually holding my controller. I have saved my favorite for last. Archery. In this amazingly fun archery game you are required to grab the arrow from the quiver, knock it to the bow, and then pull back and release the arrow. I went through 6 levels of this game without retrying, there is a skeleton level AKA “challenge mode” which proved to actually be pretty difficult. But the other levels were fun, and they seemed to give you a sense of accomplishment when you could smoke your opponent, 1050 to 0 I like the different styles of archery there is with each different opponent. In Wii Sports Resort you shot an arrow at a close range and then progressively further. In Sports Champions, most of the time the position of the target is completely random. Overall I give this game a VERY high rating and think it is definitely a must-have for all Move Owners. Game Ratings [Out of 5] Table Tennis- ♦♦♦ Volleyball- ♦♦♦ Disc Golf- ♦♦ Gladiator Duel- ♦♦♦♦ Bocce- ♦♦♦♦♦ Archery- ♦♦♦♦♦

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Playstation Move: Sports Champions Impressions