Mario Warfare Episode 1 Released December 12, 2012

Did you ever wonder what would happen if the story of Super Mario was depicted a little bit more, realistically?  Or perhaps, you just wanted to see heroes like Mario and Toad fighting with guns and kung-fu.  Well, Beatdown Boogie, the makers of Modern War Gear Solid, has just released exactly what you want!

The first episode of the highly anticipated independently made fanfilm Mario Warfare was released to the internet yesterday, and it is just amazing.  The film takes all the classic characters that we remember from the Mario series and completely turns the Mushroom Kingdom on its head, as King Koopa prepares to attack.  Just who will defend them, and who will rescue the Princess?

This fanfilm was in production for quite some time.  It was announced shortly after the conclusion of Modern War Gear Solid, and there was a lot of teaser material released about it, so people have been anticipating its release for months.  I was planning to include this as part of Mario Weekend, but since it wasn’t out yet at the time that happened, I decided not to mention the series during that event and instead to hold off talking about it until the first episode released.  Enjoy!

The Phantom Pain Spike VGA Trailer December 12, 2012

There was probably no game that showed at the VGAs this year that was more controversial or praised than The Phantom Pain. On the surface it looks like an entirely new concept for a game. You play a wounded war veteran who lost his hand and has no memory of who they are or where they came from. Meanwhile everyone is trying to kill you and the rest of your squad.

Now I would be remiss to mention that it seems like everyone on the internet believes this to be a hoax trailer and that in reality this is a trailer for Metal Gear Solid 5. People have noticed several clues sprinkled through the trailer as well as during the Spike Awards Show which give credibility to this theory. Before this trailer launched, no one had heard of Moby Dick Studio, who the trailer credits as their developer.

Two days ago when I tried to do a simple search on them, I could not find their website through Google (however that problem has since been cleared up). If Google hadn’t heard of them until recently, that would mean that their site was so new that it hadn’t been added to Google’s search algorithms yet. Also, the fact that the website has a .se extension has made it harder for me to look up just who owns it through the usual search channels.

In particular, Hideo Kojima himself was at the VGA event, and witnesses saw several people wearing Moby Dick Studio shirts in the Konami VIP area. This could be because Konami is publishing the game, or the game is simply using Konami’s technology. Many people online think the game could be using Kojima Team’s FOX Engine, the engine powering Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes. The rhetoric is the same from the other Kojima FOX Engine game, that everything in the trailer is running in real-time and the game is currently running on a high-end PC but will be on the PS3 and Xbox 360.

The first name of the person credited to be the game’s project lead is Joakim, an anagram of Kojima, the father of Metal Gear. Although I have been told that Joakim is a very common Swedish name and that could just be a coincidence.

There have also been a few Twitter accounts that have popped up claiming to be Twitter accounts for Moby Dick Studios, and while they have been obviously set up to continue the running joke that Joakim and Kojima are the same person, the official Moby Dick Studio site has said that all of them are fakes.

The Phantom Pain is coming to the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

The Last of Us Spike VGA Trailer and Release Date December 10, 2012

Since its announcement, a lot of people in the industry have been looking forward to Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us.  Created by the same development studio that brought us Uncharted, arguably one of the strongest franchises for the Playstation 3 platform, The Last of Us had a brand new trailer which premiered at the Spike Video Game Awards Show on Friday.

Up until this point, we’ve seen only glimpses of the game’s story, and only the briefest teases about the enemy that humanity finds itself battling against (when not battling each other).  Now, prepare to get a good look.

The Last of Us is coming May 7th, 2013 exclusive to the Playstation 3.

Halo 4 Spartan Ops Episode 6-10 Trailer December 10, 2012

Spartan Ops has been a fantastic addition to the Halo franchise.  It has offered a whole new cooperative campaign where you can take your multiplayer character, join up with friends, and tackle an entirely new story which bridges the gaps between Halo 4 and Halo 5.  After Episode 5, Spartan Ops is taking a bit of a mid-season break, but 343 Industries promises that it will be back in the new year.  Just what do they have in store for us?  Well, the original trailer premiered at the Spike Video Game Awards Show.  If you missed the show, take a look at this trailer for yourselves.

Spartan Ops Episode 6 is coming January 21st, 2012.  Halo 4, which is out now for the Xbox 360, is required.

Oh and by the way, the Crimson Map Pack is out today for Halo 4 as well.

Second Wii U Firmware Update Released December 5, 2012

On the first day of the Wii U’s release Nintendo also released a massive day one firmware update.  The update brought in very important features to the Wii U which were not included with the system.  For the most part, so long as the user followed Nintendo’s instructions and didn’t pull any plugs, the firmware update would go in without a hitch during the Nintendo Network set up process.

Today, Nintendo has released the second Wii U firmware update, and the rules for updating it are a lot different.  The Wii U will automatically download the firmware update in the background, so you can still play Wii U games or mess around on the Miiverse as the download progresses.  If you want to check on the status of the download, just hit the Home button on the Wii U Controller and select Download Management from the touch screen.  This is another pretty big update and depending on your connection will take quite a while to download.

Once the firmware update has finished downloading, the user simply needs to quit any programs they may be running and return to the Wii U Dashboard.  From there, they will be prompted about the system update and given the choice to install it.  The new Wii U firmware installation should only take about 5-10 minutes if you already have the first firmware installed.  I haven’t tested the update on a brand new Wii U which didn’t have the day one firmware installed, so it might take longer to install for new users.

No patch notes were included with the update, and it is currently unknown what was included with it.  It is likely the update simply contains bug fixes and optimizations.  I had read some players comments the new update did decrease load times in some programs, but not all of them, and I haven’t personally been able to confirm that yet.

Do not unplug the Wii U system during the update.

Nintendo 3DS Firmware Updated Today December 5, 2012

Pull out your Nintendo handhelds, Nintendo released a brand new firmware for the Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL today.  No patch notes were included with the release, so it is likely that the new firmware simply did some bug fixes or behind the scenes optimizations.

You will likely be prompted about the firmware update if you try to access the Nintendo eShop.  You can update the firmware from the eShop or manually update it.  If you need help how to update the firmware on your 3DS manually, check out this handy video.

Depending on your connection, the 3DS firmware update shouldn’t take more than a minute or two.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Released to DVD and Blu-Ray Disc Today December 4, 2012

For those of you (like me) who was disappointed that the Halo 4 Limited Edition featured only a downloadable code for the Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn Director’s Cut and not a physical copy of the game on a disc can breathe a sigh of relief.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn was a five-part live-action web series that was released in October and November of this year.  It expanded the story of Halo and told the backstory of some new characters in the Halo universe, including one of which who had a major role in Halo 4.  In a lot of ways, this could be the closest thing we ever get to ever seeing a Halo movie.

The new physical disc release includes a brand new Special Edition cut of the series, giving it more of the editing of a movie than an episodic web series.  I think this is really important because as I watched the series progress episode to episode I felt that I should have been watching it as one continuous story instead of in weekly twenty-minute episodes.  If I ever planned on reviewing Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, I wanted to review it in the format of a movie.  Now, the Special Edition release makes that possible.

The Blu-Ray Disc sports a DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound track for those with HD surround sound receivers.  It also includes over an hour of behind the scenes documentaries, featurettes, a live-action Red vs Blue PSA, two commentaries, and there’s even some easter eggs.

Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn has been released to DVD and Blu-Ray Disc today.

Halo 4 Spartan Ops Episode 5 Released December 3, 2012

Another week has passed and another Spartan Ops episode has been released for Halo 4.  Spartan Ops is the new episodic campaign in Halo 4 which promises to bridge the gap between Halo 4 and Halo 5.  So far, all Spartan Ops episodes have been released free of charge to owners of Halo 4, and 343 Industries has promised that this will continue until the episodes have reached their season finale.

So, what’s going on this week in the Halo Universe?  Take a look for yourselves!

It has been amazing to see a weekly episodic game released free of charge to game owners, stay on schedule, and expand the game’s story this well.  Keep up the great work 343!

Halo 4 is out now exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Uplay Wii U App Released December 3, 2012

When I started to play ZombiU for the Wii U last week, I found myself in a bit of a pickle.  The game makes heavy use of UbiSoft’s Uplay service and offers players four unlockable rewards to go along with four unlockable achievements in the game.  UbiSoft has been offering Uplay rewards and achievements in their games for a while now, and while many PC users have had problems with it, it doesn’t intrude that much into the console games that support it.

While ZombiU is able to interface with the Uplay service and doesn’t give players much issue simply logging into their accounts to record their game progress, it lacks the ability to do Uplay account management.  Without a Wii U Uplay app, I had to go looking for Uplay apps on alternate platforms to unlock my ZombiU rewards and manage my Uplay account.  My favorite so far has been the iPhone version.

However, UbiSoft has just released the Uplay app for the Wii U and it can be downloaded immediately.  The program interfaces with your Uplay account and allows you to manage your rewards and track your achievements.  The best part is that you won’t need to log back into your Uplay account if you’ve already have in a Wii U game, the app will automatically log you in.  The worst part is that it doesn’t seem to make any use of the Wii U Controller’s Touch Screen, even though the menus look as if they’re designed specifically for the touch screen.

The Uplay app is free and can now be downloaded on the Wii U through the Nintendo eShop.  The app can already be downloaded to the iPhone or PC.  If you use any Uplay supported UbiSoft games, you can register for a Uplay account here free of charge.

Halo 4 Crimison Map Pack Release Date December 1, 2012

Before the launch of Halo 4, Microsoft and 343 Industries promised a steady output of multiplayer game maps and game types as well as a regular release of cooperative levels.  Well, now they’ve announced the release date for the first official Halo 4 Map Pack, dubbed the Crimson Map Pack.

Just what is coming with the new Crimson Map Pack?  Three new maps and a whole new gametype.  Want to see it for yourself?  Take a look.

Want to read all the details about the new map pack?  Check them out here!

Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack is coming December 10th, 2012 through the Xbox Live Marketplace.  Players who already purchased the Halo 4 Limited Edition or Halo 4 War Games Map Pass will be able to download the Crimson Map Pack free of charge, as well as two other Map Packs coming next year.  Halo 4 game required.