Game Preview: Five New Things You’re Gonna Love About “Top Spin 4″4:30 pm | Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

When it comes to authenticity x sports video games, no one’s been seeing 2K Sports lately. They’re are about to drop NBA 2K11, which we recently put you on game about, and sometime next year they’ll be bringing us Top Spin 4. We spent some time playing the latest iteration of the Top Spin franchise last week, and we’re pleased to say it features everything from more venues and improved graphics to…vintage Andre Agassi rockin’ the classic mullet? Yes! So, in anticipation of the upcoming release, check out five things you need to know about Top Spin 4…

• CLICK HERE FOR 5 THINGS YOU’RE GONNA LOVE ABOUT TOP SPIN 4…

Complex Presents: The 50 Best Mario Video Games11:51 am | Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

Here are a few numbers: Two hundred. Two hundred million, closing in on three hundred million. 9/13/1985. Respectively, these are the number of video games Mario has appeared in, the number of video game units sold with his likeness in them, and the date he turned from a simple NYC plumber who cleaned sewers and jumped barrels into the iconic Super version of himself who had a thing for mushrooms and sparkly stars. Yes, it’s been a full quarter of a century since Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. debuted in Japan’s toy stores, setting on fire an industry still recovering from a massive crash just two years earlier, not to mention a consumer audience mesmerized by the dominance of Atari. Since then, the series’ creator, Shigeru Miyamoto, has not relented with his vision of turning his personal creation into a worldwide phenomenon, spawning everything from television programming, feature films, video games, and, of course, hundreds of video games with Mario serving as its designated mascot. In honor of the 25th anniversary of the debut of the most influential video game in history, we’re running down the best Mario brand games around—according to us. In other words, feel free to rage against the machine in the comments.

Note: We have excluded compilation titles, ports, games not released in the US, and remakes…although we did include a couple on a case-by-base basis.

• CLICK HERE TO KICK OFF THE COUNTDOWN AT #50!

Console Aslyum: It’s White Boy Day For “Call Of Duty”!1:07 pm | Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

Looks like Gary Oldman and Ed Harris will both be doing some voice acting in the forthcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops. STOP APPEALING TO OUR MURDEROUS GRAFTED-DEVIL URGES, ACTIVISION! [Joystiq]

The week before Halo: Reach means it’s your last chance to do some gaming that doesn’t involve getting teabagged by a potty-mouthed 11-year-old KKK grand wizard. Thankfully, Plants Vs. Zombies comes out on Xbox Live Arcade tomorrow! [Xbox Live]

The dude who made Soulja Boy’s favorite game snuck his newest creation into PAX Prime over the weekend incognito, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find out a little bit about it. [Kotaku]

You know who needs business cards? Iconic video game characters. [Sidequesting]

The guy behind the original Nintendo Goldeneye 007 has gone on record about the upcoming update that Activision is publishing—and if you think shots are fired, you’re absolutely right. [gamrFeed]

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Worldwide Web: Spider-Man’s 10 Best Video Games4:00 pm | Monday, September 6th, 2010

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions drops tomorrow, and we can’t say we’re not excited. From the four distinct Spidey versions that are playable (Noir, Ultimate, 2099, and Amazing) to the new villains (Hobgoblin 2099?!) to the writer (Amazing Spider-Man’s Dan Slott), it’s clear that developers Beenox are taking it upon themselves to deliver something good for comic and gaming fans alike. They’ve got a lot to live up to, too; the homie Peter Parker has been lucky enough to enjoy one of the best video-game careers a superhero could have. Sure, Batman has Arkham Asylum, but the webslinger’s appeared in more than 50 games over the years, starting with the Atari 2600’s Spider-Man 28 years ago. To celebrate his newest starring role, though, we’re just gonna run down our 10 favorite Spidey games—in chronological order, of course. Parker? We hardly know ’er!

Dreamcast: 10 Criminally Slept-On Games12:00 pm | Friday, September 3rd, 2010

It’s a lot to ask, we know. You may not even have a PSP. If you do, it probably hasn’t been charged in months. But if you consider yourself a gamer, don’t sleep on Valkyria Chronicles II. The first Valkyria Chronicles was the underappreciated secretary, the Allison Sheedy from The Breakfast Club, the dead prez album of video games. For whatever reason—bad marketing, lack of mainstream appeal, etc.—VC’s sales didn’t reflect the quality of the game. So here’s the deal: in celebration of VCII’s release, we’re going to run down a list of some of the most slept-on, high-quality games in (quasi) recent memory. You’ve got a long weekend coming up, might as well try a couple of these titles out if you haven’t already. It’s not like we’re the Gestapo Parents trying to shove broccoli and lima beans and Cold War ideals down their kids’ throats, we’re just asking you to try something different—something that manages to be both nutritious and freakin’ awesome.

Console Asylum: Treyarch Ensures That We Will Never Go Outside Again1:45 pm | Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

Treyarch hosted a multiplayer event for Call of Duty: Black Ops last night, unveiling the full extent of its awesome, from a new currency-based upgrade system to new game modes and video capture devices. See you after we prestige! [Kotaku]

Shigeru Miyamoto is the O.G. of gaming, and this in-depth history tells how his trajectory got started. MIYAMOTOOOOOOOO! *shaking fist*. [Gamasutra]

If you ever get tired of our obsession with any and every Arkham City screenshots that leak, by all means let us know. And then go fuck yourself. [Giant Bomb]

Yeah, Microsoft is raising the yearly price of and Xbox Live Gold subscription to $60. Boo fucking hoo, shop around and get ’em for $37! [Fat Wallet]

In case you were in a Steve Jobs haze yesterday, Epic Games has brought the Unreal Engine 3 to the iPhone—and we think this guy might have just left some smears of war in his pants. [Games Radar]

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Console Asylum: The New Xbox 360 Controller “Raises” The D-Pad Ante3:36 pm | Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

The new 360 controller has a “transforming” D-Pad that raises when you turn it. You know, for those of you who actually read game instructions. In Braille. [Destructoid]

Samus and the Metroid series have been great for the past 20 years. So we’re kind of nervous about the Ninja Gaiden team changing the series. You know the saying: If it ain’t broke, don’t add ninja stars. [Game Informer]

Everything you wanted to know about the Playstation Move and its suspect controller with the colorful balls at the top. [Kotaku]

Video games make you aggressive. In other breaking news, the world may be round! [Gamasutra]

The history of video game Westerns, including the racially (and sexually) charged Custard’s Revenge and all that other good ol’ American stuff. [Game Informer]

Play It Again, Samus: Our Favorite Metroid Cosplay12:12 pm | Monday, August 30th, 2010

One of our favorite gaming wifeys is returning home once again. Metroid: Other M arrives for the Wii tomorrow, bearing her legendary twin gifts of uncertainty and excitement for fanboys. (Geez, what’d you think we meant?) The game has been built from the ground up by third-party developers Team Ninja, which means that the gameplay has morphed into a different beast altogether…including the fact that we finally get to hear Samus speak! It’s a feature that has some Metroid purists crying foul on the Internet, but we figured the fanboys would be happy to finally experience Samus’ voice—that way they can imagine what she sounds like when she talks dirty in the fanfics they’re furiously masturbating to poring over. Despite all the recent changes to the series, we can always count on one thing: there will always be Samus cosplayers rocking her various suits. Let’s take a look at five of our favorites…

• CLICK HERE FOR A GALLERY OF SAMUS’ BEST LOOKS…

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Hollywood Slingin’: The 10 Worst Games Based On Movies11:08 am | Friday, August 27th, 2010

A few days ago we were paging through the week’s video game releases, just to make sure we hadn’t missed anything, and curled up nice and cozy was something called Grease: The Game. Yes, THAT Grease. Somehow, 32 years after the ’50s-themed musical was released, it’s turned into a collection of Wii minigames based on what is apparently an irresistible blend of sockhoppery, weird condom jokes, and Stockard Channing butching it up in a pink jacket. At first glance, it would appear to be the most bizarre video game ever to be adapted from a movie…but is it? Is it really? Turns out there are lots of games that go far beyond the usual merchandising gold rush when a popular movie comes out, resulting something that is an incomprehensible mess and/or psychologically scarring for developer and player alike. So feel free to watch the 10 movies these games are based on, but try to stay away from the games if you can…

Console Asylum: Mega Man Is Back!!! (Sort Of)1:35 pm | Thursday, August 26th, 2010

Our favorite blue suited man-child cyborg is back in a trailer that shows the complete destruction of his home city and utter chaos everywhere! The blogs are going nuts…but the game is only being released in South Korea. Did you hear that? A million fanboys just died. [Kotaku]

This is an amazing live-action (yeah, you read right) Halo Reach trailer. What are you doing still reading this? [Destructoid]

In an attempt to keep up with the competition, Best Buy just started a Used Game program. #youmadlatefam [Joystiq]

Warren Spector, the genius behind Deus Ex and all around gamer god, is once again excited about video games. We’re pretty sure it’s because he’s getting that Epic Mickey money, but this in-depth interview reveals the real reason why. [Game Informer]

Brad Pitt might star in a Red Dead Redemption film adaptation. We’re cool with that, so long as it doesn’t put us to sleep like that Assassination of Jesse James crap. Ride until the (wagon) wheels fall off. [Kotaku]

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Console Asylum: There’s A Portal In Our Pants!1:57 pm | Tuesday, August 24th, 2010

New Portal 2 screenshots are out, and now there’s a portal in our pants. Wait, that came out wrong. Now there’s a VALVE in or pants. No, that’s worse. There’s a companion cube in our pants? Ah, forget it. [Game Informer]

The best vandalism ever: Mario power-ups in Portland bike lanes! Give us a Bullet Bill, and we’d be at work in 30 seconds. [Joystiq]

Microsoft is throwing everything it’s got at the marketing campaign for Halo: Reach—not including the banhammer it handed out yesterday to fools who played the leaked pre-release version. [Advertising Age]

The creators of iPhone game Angry Birds are trying to turn it into cartoons, movies, and comic books. Great game and all, but good luck with that! [Variety]

Capcom is all, like, not racist and stuff. And their games are gonna be totally not racist too! [Gamasutra]

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Complex Presents: The 50 Best Video Game Easter Eggs Ever12:46 pm | Monday, August 23rd, 2010

Every spring, people love trotting out their lists of favorite Easter eggs in video games: ten here, seven there, generally always pulled from the same 20 or so well-known eggs. And hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. But programmers have been putting secrets into games for more than 30 years—yes, THIRTY—so we had to compile a countdown that took into account the vast numbers of games published during that timespan. And there’s also the fact that we hate doing anything with the rest of the crowd, so waiting until next April simply wasn’t option. With that in mind, we’re pleased to hatch our hidden gem, the 50 Best Video Game Easter Eggs Ever. From shooters to puzzlers, from Atari to PS3, these are what we think are the funniest, toughest, and just straight-up inexplicablest (yes, inexplicablest) hidden treats in gaming history. And you don’t even need a cheat code to read it!

By Ryan Woo

• CLICK HERE TO START THE EASTER EGG HUNT AT #50…

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Mobile Check-In: The 5 Best Games For Android Right Now2:15 pm | Friday, August 20th, 2010

Big tings a gwaan for Android right now: The “Froyo” update (Android 2.2) is finally being rolled out, and game companies are finally developing in earnest for the smartphone platform, long an also-ran in the world of mobile games. Popcap has announced that it’ll be releasing all its game in Android form through the rest of 2010—but even before you get your Peggle or Plants Vs. Zombies fix, there’s still some great gaming to be had. Read on to see our five best late-summer choices for Android phones, and when you’re in line for that Epic 4G or Galaxy, you’ll know just what to cop first…

Console Asylum: More Mortal Kombat Screens Mean More Spewkkake!12:53 pm | Thursday, August 19th, 2010

Warner Brothers Interactive just released some new screenshots of next year’s Mortal Kombat, and we have to admit that they look crazy. Even the ones that remind us of an as-yet-unnamed Japanese fetish. [Mortal Kombat Official Site]

Tracing the evolution of female sexuality through the Soul Calibur series. Or, to translate: b00bz. [Oddly Bizarre]

The “largest Italian American service organization in the USA” is mad at Take-Two Interactive for publishing Mafia II, and are demanding that they “halt release of the game and cleanse it of all references to Italians and Italian-Americans.” Which is fine by us, we’d like to play the shortest game ever made with no title. [Gamasutra]

This chick knitted a balaclava with Ghost from Modern Warfare 2’s face on it. Which means that a) we can’t wait to go snowboarding in that thing and b) do you think she can cook, too? [Twitpic]

Man, Japanese game box art is SO MUCH BETTER. Even if by “so much better” we mean “usually confusing.” Also, where can we get a copy of Crude Busters? [Box Art]

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The Ultimate Archive: Lara Croft’s Hottest Pics5:02 pm | Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

So the final title in Xbox’s Summer of Arcade drops today—and it’s a Tomb Raider game! Well, rather, it’s a Lara Croft game, though we don’t know if by simply calling it Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light Eidos/Square Enix were intentionally going outside Tomb Raider canon or just trying to get teenage horndogs to cough up $15 in hopes that “guardian of light” meant that flashing was involved. And we can’t say we blame them either way; Lara Croft would be worth the money even if all she did was sit there and curse at you in a British accent. It’s been 14 years—FOURTEEN YEARS, MAN—since the first Tomb Raider dropped, and in that time Lara’s popped up in eight different games, a comic book, a “web series,” and the real-life bodies of Angelina Jolie and the eight “official models” that Eidos has contracted over the years to portray Lara Croft for photoshoots and press events. Which means…hmm..carry the one…that it’s time for an Ultimate Archive! Yes, we’ve searched the world over for the hottest pictures of gaming’s sexiest action star (sorry, Bayonetta) in all her guises. Raider? We hardly know ’er!

• CLICK HERE TO SEE LARA CROFT’S HOTTEST PICS…