Xbox 360 System Update Today November 27, 2012

A minor system update for the Xbox 360 was released today. The update focuses on fixing some behind the scenes problems with the new Xbox Dashboard and specifically fixes issues with Xbox Smartglass Playlists, bugs in Xbox Video and a few other problems.

You will be automatically prompted about the update at log in. The update is required for Xbox Live access and may take around 5-10 minutes to download and install.

You can read all the details about the system update on Major Nelson’s Blog.

Halo 4 Spartan Ops Episode 4 Released November 27, 2012

Another week has passed and Microsoft and 343 Industries have released an entirely new episode for Spartan Ops.  Spartan Ops is the cooperative mutliplayer campaign which continues the single-player story of Halo 4.  Each new episode released brings the story one step closer to the announced but still unseen Halo 5.  Until Season 1 of Spartan Ops concludes, each episode is expected to be released free of charge to Halo 4 owners.

And just what is coming in this episode?  Take a look for yourselves!

Halo 4 is out now exclusive to the Xbox 360.

Playstation 3 Firmware 4.31 Released November 27, 2012

It looks like Sony has quietly released a new firmware to the PS3 recently.  Firmware 4.31 is currently out for download through the Playstation 3.  No patch notes or change log was included with the release and it looks like this firmware merely features some bug fixes or optimizations.

PS3 Firmware 4.31 is currently available through the PS3’s Network Update option.  It is not currently required for access to the Playstation Network.

ZombiU iPhone Companion App Released November 20, 2012

You might notice that UbiSoft has released a ZombiU app for the iPhone.  With it, it can get you to take pictures of yourself or your friends and it can track the stages of your “infection” just as you can with the Wii U Controller, or record survivors videos.  It seems to be released to coincide with the advertising campaign for ZombiU and has direct access to the ZombiU Official Site.

Unfortunately one thing that this app does not have is integration with the game, the Nintendo Network, or Uplay.  However, if you would like that kind of functionality it is available.  The Uplay app for the iPhone, DOES integrate with ZombiU’s Uplay integration and allows you to unlock bonus content in the game.  You even get 10 free Uplay points just for using the Uplay program for the first time, which can be used in any Uplay enabled game, like ZombiU or Assassin’s Creed III.

The ZombiU and Uplay app are out now for free download to your iOS device from the Apple App Store.

Halo 4 Spartan Ops Episode 3 Released November 19, 2012

Episode 3 of Spartan Ops has come to Halo 4 today and boy, take a look at just how they’re setting the story with this one. Warning, its probably not a good idea to watch this video unless you’ve already played through Spartan Ops Episodes 1 and 2.

New episodes of Spartan Ops are expected to come on a regular basis. The cooperative exclusive campaign follows the game’s single-player story and leads up to the events of the announced but not yet seen Halo 5.

Episode 3 of Spartan Ops is free of charge and avalible to anyone who owns Halo 4. Halo 4 is out now and is exclusive to the Xbox 360.

ZombiU Launch Trailer November 19, 2012

It came out with the Wii U launch and I did an unboxing of it yesterday but here is the AWESOME launch trailer for ZombiU, which is quite possibly the number one must have third-party exclusive game for the platform.  If you ever asked yourself just how is this game played with the Wii U Controller, take a look at this!

UPDATE:  Okay, there’s a different video which describes how multiplayer works in this game as well, yes you’ve read that right, ZombiU has multiplayer.  One player takes control of the Wii U controller, and the other takes control of the classic controller.  The objective?  For one player, survive.  For the other…stop that person from surviving.

ZombiU is out now exclusive to the Wii U.

Mario Weekend – Why the Super Mario Movie Sucked November 18, 2012

When I posted up the link to the Nostalgia Critic’s review of the Super Mario Bros movie yesterday, I was really tepid about my thoughts with it, and why I actually found myself still enjoying that movie after twenty years where everyone else thought it was a complete disappointment.  In that article I shed a little bit of behind the scenes information about the development of the movie but didn’t post anything further about the movie’s disastrous development process.

I had read an article published by Wired.com not too long ago which was about this very subject.  It was originally posted in April of this year titled “Why the Super Mario Bros Movie Sucked”.  The writer went quite in-depth about the movie’s production process, the issues that the filmmakers had with the studio who didn’t see eye to eye on their vision and Nintendo who was so impressed by the producer’s gutsy pitch decided to let them have the property cheaply and kept their hands off its development.

It’s a phenomenal read, and I recommend it to anyone who may have had any interest in the movie’s development.  While we all know how the story ends, it is still a great story that makes even the most hardened critic wonder just what could have been.

You can read the entire article here.

More content is coming for Mario Weekend, leading up to the Wii U Unboxing later today!

Mario Weekend – Linkara’s Game Boy Comics Reviews November 17, 2012

Lewis Lovhaug, better known as Linkara, is the webmaster of Atop The Fourth Wall, which does some of the best reviews of comics that I have ever seen.  I know I’ve used Linkara in a previous special day the site had, but the truth is ALL of his reviews are worth a look at.

Nintendo actually did have comics released to tie in to their major game and platform releases.  Probably the most infamous of which is the Game Boy comic series.  It was a fun little romp about characters from inside the Game Boy game Super Mario Land coming into the real world and how kids with Game Boys can get Mario to beat the forces of evil back.

Admittedly the comic series probably should have been named Super Mario Land opposed to Game Boy, as it was mostly based off of Super Mario Land specifically, and the characters and enemies from it opposed to characters from any other games for the platform, but the Game Boy itself is the catalyst for the story arc so I’ll let that slide.

So far, Linkara has reviewed two comics in the series.  You can watch his Game Boy #1 review here.  You can watch Game Boy #2 review here.  Small note.  People with mobile devices may have problems watching the first review, but shouldn’t have problems with the second.

On a side note, I can’t tell you how great its been to finally get to play Super Mario Land after 20 years on my 3DS XL thanks to the Nintendo eShop Virtual Console.

Hope you’re enjoying Mario Weekend on gamexcess.net!  More content is coming leading up to the Nintendo Wii U release tomorrow!  Stay tuned!

Mario Weekend – Nostalgia Critic’s Super Mario Bros Movie Review November 17, 2012

Let’s face it, the early 90s not only defined a time when Nintendo ruled all media, but Mario himself did as well, and no more was it prevalent than in the release of the big-budget Super Mario Bros Movie.  To many, the movie was both a critical and financial disappointment, and left many fans feeling betrayed by what ended up on the screen.

Enter Doug Walker, better known to the internet as The Nostalgia Critic.  His tagline?  He remembers it so we don’t have to.  I’ll leave it to him to sum up just what exactly was wrong with the movie, you can watch his entire review of Super Mario Bros: The Movie here.

Honestly, I actually enjoyed this movie a lot, and to this day the filmmakers have said that Nintendo has never expressed any disappointment to them about the film, even twenty years after the fact.  I thought the actors cast were all fantastic talented individuals and were genuinely great in every role they have been cast in.  I thought the universe that they had created, with their grungy punkish atmosphere fit perfectly for the trends of the time, and you know what, I kind of also liked the humor a bit.  It’s the kind of movie you appreciate as a kid, but as an adult you appreciate it in a different way.

I had heard that the filmmakers wanted to go even darker with the movie, but studio pressure wouldn’t allow it (even though Nintendo promised a hands-off approach to the movie, which they kept).  Their ideas were quite interesting, but I think that what we got on the screen was still enjoyable.

What’s next for the Nostalgia Critic?  Well, Doug Walker has retired him at the height of his popularity, but that will not be the end of That Guy with the Glasses.  He promises a whole new web series will be coming.

Hope you’re enjoying Mario Weekend on gamexcess.net!  More Mario content is coming all today and tomorrow to culminate with the Wii U release Sunday!  Stay tuned!

Mario Weekend – The Angry Video Game Nerd November 17, 2012

It’s time for the angriest gamer you’ve ever heard.  James Rolfe, better known to the internet as The Angry Video Game Nerd, has been one of the most popular webseries on the internet for the past five years.  He has reviewed some of the most awful games and peripherals of all time, and done some great nostalgic videos that I will always

The AVGN has actually done some positive reviews in the past, and when he talks about the games made by Nintendo for their platforms, you can just tell how attached he is to what he is reviewing and what a big part of his life video games are.  But we all know that even with a good game, anger will eventually come out.  He’s one of the first reviewers that I’ve seen that had the uncanny ability to point out easily missed problems in extremely well liked games.

I could spend hours combing through his back catalog of reviews.  Pretty much all of them are greats but since this is Mario Weekend on gamexcess.net I want to focus on one review he did of not just what has been considered by many to be the best Mario game EVER, but the tie-in movie that put Nintendo front and center to wide audiences.  That’s right I’m talking about his review of Super Mario Bros 3 and The Wizard.

What’s coming up for the AVGN?  A movie!

Hope you’re enjoying Mario Weekend on gamexcess.net!  More content is coming leading up to the release of the Wii U on Sunday!  Stay tuned!