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	<title>Tech &#187; Evan Narcisse &#124; TIME.com</title>
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		<title>Tech &#187; Evan Narcisse &#124; TIME.com</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com</link>
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		<title>Why I&#8217;m Worried About the Joker in &#8216;Batman: Arkham City&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/26/why-im-worried-about-the-joker-in-batman-arkham-city/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/26/why-im-worried-about-the-joker-in-batman-arkham-city/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:30:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[batman]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WBIE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=98266</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What you&#8217;re seeing here is the latest trailer for the upcoming Batman game, due out in just a few short weeks. And, to no one&#8217;s surprise, the Dark Knight&#8217;s white-faced archenemy will be in the game, masterfully voiced once more by Mark Hamill. But, the plot points teased in this trailer have me a little worried, because there seem to be hints that The Clown Prince of Crime might wind up being the big bad of Arkham City after all. Very little&#8217;s been revealed about the storyline in the Bat-sequel, but we know that psychiatrist Hugo Strange is one of the masterminds behind the idea of turning half of Gotham City into a laissez-faire super-prison. In an earlier trailer, the B-list Bat-villain also appears to know that Batman is Bruce Wayne. All of this is consistent with Strange&#8217;s portrayal in various comic book storylines and the mad doctor even posed as Batman a few times over the years. (MORE: Mr. Freeze Makes Things Chilly in New &#8216;Batman: Arkham City&#8217; Trailer) So, it&#8217;d make sense for the game to build to a confrontation between Hugo Strange and Batman. But this new Joker clip has the smiling psychopath talking about planning something big. My worry is that Arkham City will culminate in yet another Batman/Joker face-off. Look, I know that Batman vs. Joker is one of the most enduring rivalries in pop culture but we just saw them square off in the first Batman game by Rocksteady Studios. I&#8217;d hate for this year&#8217;s game to go there again. These are just one worried observer&#8217;s concerns, mind you. It could turn out that the Joker&#8217;s schemes are just a big subplot to the game&#8217;s overarching story and that the World&#8217;s Greatest Detective will have a climactic showdown with someone who isn&#8217;t Harley Quinn&#8217;s boyfriend. With all the new villains teased so far in Batman: Arkham City, surely we can expect a fresher final battle, right? MORE: Preview: &#8216;Batman: Arkham City&#8217; Puts the Dark Knight in a Lawless, Urban Landscape<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=98266&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Cruel Story, Bro: &#8216;Gears of War 3&#8242; Review</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/20/cruel-story-bro-gears-of-war-3-review/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/20/cruel-story-bro-gears-of-war-3-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Sep 2011 11:27:06 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Microsoft]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Epic Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gears of War 3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=97597</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Gears of War 3 represents the kind of game that&#8217;s become deeply embattled as bite-sized smartphone gaming and freemium models shift the economics and expectations around the video game medium. It&#8217;s big and loud and costly to make. It runs on only one game platform and appeals mostly to a meat-and-potatoes fanbase that doesn&#8217;t appear to like too much experimentation in their interactive game experiences. That fanbase revels in the specific brand of cover-centric gunplay that the Gears games have perfected, where you crouch behind the environment and strategically pop out to blast away bad guys who are doing the same thing. Gears fans have also made cult heroes out of the game&#8217;s characters, too. The franchise&#8217;s fictional universe gets revealed through the eyes of Delta Squad, a cadre of soldiers trying to keep some semblance of civilization going, following the lead of series hero Marcus Fenix. Sera–the Earth-that&#8217;s-not-Earth where all of the Gears of War games have taken place–stands on the brink of near-total collapse after a decades-long war over a miracle energy source named Imulsion. After years fighting the Locust–the subterranean race who had their civilization destroyed by humanity&#8217;s thirst for Imulsion, Gears 3 pits players against the Lambent, a radioactive mutation of the Locust. (MORE: Microsoft Pushes Gears of War 3 From Spring 2011 to Next Fall) As the game starts, Marcus and Delta Squad try to eke out an existence with the last dregs of humanity, protecting civilians from Lambent threats after the central government&#8217;s dissolution. A message from Marcus&#8217; scientist father–long-thought dead–suggests that there may be a way to end the Lambent threat. Both humans and the subterranean Locust are trying to scrape by in a war-ruined world, but Dr. Fenix&#8217;s discovery may mean the end of the Locust race altogether. Much of the signature Gears of War feel remains unchanged; it&#8217;s still meaty, muscular and mournful. Even the newly introduced female characters growl and grunt in decidedly testosterone tones. Added backstory plays out in dream sequences for key characters, like the insubordination where Marcus<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=97597&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Reviews</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/reviews-features/reviews-reviews-features/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Epic&#8217;s Rod Fergusson Talks &#8216;Gears of War 3&#8242;</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/16/epics-rod-fergusson-talks-gears-of-war-3/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/16/epics-rod-fergusson-talks-gears-of-war-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:30:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[TIME Interviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gears of War 3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=97358</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[To everyone expecting a Gears of War 3 review: It&#8217;s coming. In the meantime, I had a chance to speak to Rod Fergusson, executive producer at Epic Games, about what next week&#8217;s big release means for the studio and the world they&#8217;ve created. Over the last five years, the previous Gears games have introduced unique gameplay elements–a singular emphasis on cover and the active reload that lets players get an added-damage benefit for re-upping their ammo in rhythm–hence adopted by other titles. Gears 1 and 2 have also created memorable characters that garnered huge fanbases, especially in the case of series hero Marcus Fenix. In the talk that follows, Fergusson reflects on what the release of Gears 3 means to the franchise and how the series&#8217; signature features got their start in development. How are you? How’s the beard? Rod Fergusson: [Laughs] Everything’s good. We’re 6 days and what, 17 hours or something away from launch, so it’s exciting. I know that you guys aren’t saying, “This is the end of the Gears franchise,” but this is kind of a milestone moment. Would it be fair to say that this is closing out the story of Delta Squad? Yeah. We’re saying this set of games is Marcus’s story. This is the completion of his story. We want people to feel like there was a beginning, middle, and end with the trilogy, that this actually has a conclusion so the player can be satisfied in knowing they actually completed a story as opposed to just “ready at another chapter in the book or something.” (MORE: The Techland Interview: Cliff Bleszinski, Part 1) Fair enough. I think Gears has won a place in gamers’ hearts for a few different reasons. Probably for the actual play mechanics–the cover system, active reload and all that stuff. But, also because of the environment it presents to play in. The world itself has a story. Tell me what the mood is in terms of maybe seeing this environment you helped build for the last time and possibly saying<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=97358&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>TIME Interviews</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/reviews-features/time-interviews/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Sony Unveils December 17 Release Date for PlayStation Vita… in Japan</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/14/sony-unveils-december-17-release-date-for-playstation-vita%e2%80%a6-in-japan/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/14/sony-unveils-december-17-release-date-for-playstation-vita%e2%80%a6-in-japan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:01:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sony]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PlayStation Vita]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PS Vita]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tokyo Game Show]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=97083</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Tokyo Game Show is home turf for Sony and Nintendo, the Japanese companies still regarded as heavyweights in the video game business. While Nintendo held their own 3DS-centric event just preceding the annual game gathering, Sony&#8217;s press conference marked the official kick-off of TGS and details about the new Vita handheld took center stage at the PlayStation presser. When the new portable Playstation hits on 12/17/2011, there&#8217;ll be a launch library of 26 games accompanying it. Among the most notable new announcements are HD remakes of Metal Gear Sold and Final Fantasy X (marking its 10th anniversary), a Vita version of Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and an all-new Katamari Damacy game. As previously reported, Japanese cellular provider NTT Docomo will be providing 3G wireless connectivity for the Vita; its tiered pricing plans were detailed last night as well. (MORE: NGP vs. 3DS vs. iOS vs. Android: Which Gaming Platform Will Earn Your Love?) A 20-hour plan for ¥980 ($13) offers 20 hours of gaming and, at ¥4,980 ($65) the 100-hour plan will offer 100 hours of gaming as a little extra bonus. There doesn&#8217;t appear to be any rollover and you&#8217;ll lose whatever hours you don&#8217;t use during the 30-day or 180-day windows, for the 20- and 100-hour plans, respectively. Whether this price structure and plan is indicative of what AT&#38;T will do when Vita launches in U.S. wasn&#8217;t elaborated on. Sony also introduced a place-shifting feature called &#8220;Transfarring&#8221; with some of the HD remakes, where you&#8217;ll be able to start playing Metal Gear Solid and Zone of the Enders on the PS3 and continue those games on the Vita. So far, only those two games are confirmed to use the terribly-named gimmick. While Vita will use a new proprietary storage format for games, most of the downloadable PSP catalog will work on the device, with certain titles making use of the dual analog sticks. The big question for backwards compatibility, though, is UMD support since the last specialized media used for the previous Sony gaming handheld won&#8217;t be<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=97083&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Sony</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/companies-2/sony/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Rockstar Games Offers First Look at &#8216;Max Payne 3&#8242;</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/14/rockstar-games-offers-first-look-at-max-payne-3/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/14/rockstar-games-offers-first-look-at-max-payne-3/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:15:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GTA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Red Dead Redemption]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rockstar Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=96993</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Here’s the thing about Rockstar Games: You never know when they&#8217;re going to make a move. While they&#8217;re not quite as bad as Apple, the NYC-based developers of the Grand Theft Auto series and Red Dead Redemption tend to be very secretive about their games&#8217; release windows. That&#8217;s certainly been the case with Max Payne 3. While it&#8217;s long been known that Rockstar would be charting the development future of the hardboiled action franchise that originated with Remedy Entertainment–creators of last year&#8217;s excellent Alan Wake–the game&#8217;s been pushed back several times over the last three years. (LIST: Weak Point: 10 Terrible Movies Adapted from Video Games) Rockstar&#8217;s finally offering a glimpse at the gritty shooter series&#8217; third installment–developed by their Vancouver studio and due out next March–and it looks like things aren&#8217;t getting any better for the former NYPD police detective. Have a look courtesy the trailer above. The Max Payne franchise was among the first to use &#8220;bullet time&#8221; mechanics, where time moves slower for enemies allowing you greater accuracy and response time against incoming threats. That signature slowdown appears to be present in MP3, which also sports the trademark world-weary first-person narration by Max&#8217;s voice actor, James McCaffrey. The biggest change, of course, looks to be the environment in which Max&#8217;s story takes place. Gone are the shadowy back alleys of New York City, replaced by the sun-drenched favelas of Sao Paolo. This teaser seems to set Max in a morally ambiguous world where the realms of big business and drug trafficking intersect, which probably feels all too familiar for a guy like Max. It remains to be seen whether packing on a few pounds and slamming bottles of whisky will slow the lethal vigilante down, but expect more details from Rockstar about MP3 soon. MORE: Arresting Development: &#8216;L.A. Noire&#8217; Review<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=96993&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/news/gaming-culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Nintendo Details 3DS Slide Pad and Upcoming Game Releases</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/13/nintendo-details-3ds-slide-pad-and-upcoming-game-releases/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/13/nintendo-details-3ds-slide-pad-and-upcoming-game-releases/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:00:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nintendo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3ds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[super mario]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tokyo Game Show]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=96833</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[On the eve of this year&#8217;s Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo held a conference to update consumers on their upcoming plans for the 3DS. The Nintendo 3DS Conference brought some good news, some surprising news and some bad news for folks tracking the roller coaster ride that the company&#8217;s newest dual-screen handheld has been on. The Slide Pad add-on–coming to Japan on December 10 and costing ¥1,500 (US$19)–reportedly attaches a second analog control input to the right side of the 3DS and extra shoulder buttons, making it more like a standard gamepad controller. (MORE: Nintendo 3DS May Get Ugly, Awkward Righthand Joystick) The new peripheral lets Nintendo poach Capcom&#8217;s Monster Hunter franchise from the PSP, where it&#8217;s been a solidly performing exclusive for the Sony portable. It&#8217;ll also be usable with Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3DS and Kingdom Hearts 3DS. As far as other games in the 3DS pipeline, future installments for the Mario Tennis, Paper Mario and Animal Crossing will reportedly hit Japan next year, but no U.S dates were announced at the confab. That said, two of the most anticipated 3DS games featuring Nintendo&#8217;s mascot got firm U.S. release dates: The all-new Super Mario 3D Land will arrive stateside on November 13 and Mario Kart 7 will follow on December 4. However, Kid Icarus: Uprising, previously due this year, won&#8217;t be coming to the stereoscopic handheld until March 2012. Overall, it looks like the software portfolio that Nintendo has planned may help the fortunes of the 3DS, which has seen increased sales since the startling price drop earlier this summer. People who complained that Nintendo&#8217;s most popular character was absent from the 3DS launch will soon have all the Mario that they can handle. And while rumors of a controller dock for the 3DS were confirmed, it&#8217;s still not clear if the weird-looking appendage will make the system the equal of Sony&#8217;s upcoming PS3-like PlayStation Vita. MORE: Amazon Freezes Nintendo 3DS Sales After Customer Complaints<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=96833&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Nintendo</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/companies-2/nintendo/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Addictive Blooms: &#8216;Fractal&#8217; Review</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/12/addictive-blooms-fractal-review/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/12/addictive-blooms-fractal-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:15:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iOS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipad]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=96721</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Like any watershed work of art, 1984&#8242;s Tetris sired lots of offspring, some more bastardly than others. And it&#8217;s been fascinating to see the way the falling block puzzle genre has transformed that since the Russian-born game made the Game Boy a must-have device. Time limits, RPG elements, multiple colors and a plethora of shapes have made titles like Bejeweled and Puzzle Quest blockbuster triumphs in their own right. It&#8217;s too soon to say if Fractal–the new iPad game created by indie development studio Cipher Prime–will join those ultra-successful block puzzlers but it does bring some interesting elements that make it feel fresher than any similar game in recent memory. The first change is in the shape that players are tasked to make. You&#8217;ll need to nudge seven hexagonal tiles into a bloom–a shape that sort of looks like a flower–to clear them off the board. It&#8217;s not the easy horizontal lines of Tetris or friendly squares of Lumines, and you&#8217;ll need to train your eye to spot the opportunities. The bigger tweak that Fractal introduces is a limited pool of resources. You only get a certain number of moves to fulfill each level&#8217;s quota and this creates a radical shift in how you play. Other games in this genre keep delivering an endless supply of chances to break out of gridlock and you&#8217;re strung along waiting for the &#8220;right&#8221; piece or a magic tile that clears huge swaths of screen real estate. Fractal does away with that, adding an element of resource management that makes it feel leaner and meaner than other Tetris-style games. Fractal does other things, too–like having two-color levels but only giving moves for one of those hues–that make it feel inventive and challenging. But some of its tricks make for a tough learning curve. I&#8217;ve played Fractal for more than a week in Campaign Mode and have consistently hit bottlenecks where I repeatedly failed to advance. I thought it was just me, until I handed it over to a friend who works in game development.<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=96721&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Reviews</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/reviews-features/reviews-reviews-features/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Fighting Words: Capcom&#8217;s Seth Killian Talks &#8216;Street Fighter&#8217;, &#8216;Tekken&#8217; and Marvel</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/06/fighting-words-capcoms-seth-killian-talks-street-fighter-tekken-and-marvel/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/06/fighting-words-capcoms-seth-killian-talks-street-fighter-tekken-and-marvel/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Sep 2011 15:00:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[capcom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marvel vs Capcom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Super Street Fighter IV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=96055</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Video game publishers have been shooter-crazy over the last few years, but gun-centric titles weren&#8217;t always king of the hill. For a good chunk of the 1990s, the fighting game genre captured the majority of gamers&#8217; attentions in both the arcade and home console arena. Franchises like Tekken, Street Fighter and Soul Calibur each have had dedicated fan bases grow up around their characters and movesets. And one man&#8217;s seen the fighting genre go from life support to million-dollar tournaments, managing to emerge as a guru for several quick-multiplying generations of gamers. Seth Killian is a revered name in the fighter communities, going from competing in matches to announcing in tournaments and consulting on development. (MORE: Mortal Kombat Review: Banned in Oz) Years ago, Killian was a prime mover in the organization of EVO, one of the world&#8217;s biggest fighting game tournaments, with fans and contestants coming from around the globe to bask in the glow of virtual fisticuffs. Nowadays, he&#8217;s a special consultant to Capcom on the Japanese company&#8217;s top martial arts series, Street Fighter and Marvel vs. Capcom. I talked to Killian about the recently released Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, the upcoming Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and the allure of fighting games You’re just coming off of the EVO fighting game championships a few weeks ago in Las Vegas and overall, this seems to be a year where the fighting game is very resurgent as a genre. Can you talk about some of the things that might be feeding into that? I&#8217;ve wondered about this, too, sometimes and, for me, I think it kicked off with Street Fighter IV, but it’s been sort of a rolling thunder since then. It makes me excited. I look at fighting games as sort of a focal point. In a lot of ways, fighting games are a pure distillation of the kind of connection and human interaction you get when you’re playing somebody else in a video game. These kinds of games put a lens on the people involved and<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=96055&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Seth Killian</media:title>
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		<title>Call of Duty XP 2011: T-Wolves&#8217; All-Star Kevin Love on FPS Success</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/03/call-of-duty-xp-2011-t-wolves-all-star-kevin-love-on-forward-strategies-for-fps-success/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/03/call-of-duty-xp-2011-t-wolves-all-star-kevin-love-on-forward-strategies-for-fps-success/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 04 Sep 2011 03:20:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[activision]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[call of duty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Call of Duty Elite]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MW3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NBA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=95982</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Activision&#8217;s kicking off their first-ever Call of Duty XP fan fest this year and they&#8217;ve got a weekend full of multiplayer reveals, real-life paintball combat and even a Kanye West closing concert lined up for attendees. Among the highlights is a $1 million tournament where regular joes get to face off against celeb and pro athlete contestants, as well. One of those COD players from the world of sports will be Kevin Love, power forward for  the Minnesota Timberwolves. I had a chance to speak with the 2011 Most Improved Player before the XP festivities began and he talked about how his COD playstyle differs from his play on the basketball court, as well as the most important thing about playing in the tournament. You&#8217;re going to be at the Call of Duty XP fan fest this weekend. Would you say that you&#8217;re one of the NBA&#8217;s top COD players? Kevin Love: I mean, I try to be, at least. I know that some of the guys are at Level 50 Prestige, and you have to kind of creep around the levels and you can’t go out there out in the open. You’ll try to go hard in the paint and put yourself out there all the time, like I do. But if you go right out there into the open, they’re going to kill you. I try to fake it ‘till I make it more than anything. But I definitely try. So it will definitely be interesting on Saturday to go against Chris Bosh and the service members and the other participants. So it will be fun. So it sounds like you’re saying your personal style as an athlete is totally different from how you play Call of Duty? Yeah. You have to be careful and not try to get killed while also trying to go out there and kill guys yourself. Whereas if you&#8217;re too careful on the court, you&#8217;re not going to make anything happen for your team. It’s a very, very tough game, as far as<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=95982&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Call of Duty XP 2011: Watch the &#8216;Modern Warfare 3&#8242; Multiplayer Trailer</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/03/call-of-duty-xp-2011-watch-the-modern-warfare-3-multiplayer-trailer/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/03/call-of-duty-xp-2011-watch-the-modern-warfare-3-multiplayer-trailer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 03 Sep 2011 15:26:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[activision]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[multiplayer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MW3]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trailer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=95985</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Multiplayer. It&#8217;s the reason that the vast majority of players show up for a Call of Duty game. And when that vast majority numbers in the millions, you better believe that it&#8217;s a big deal. That&#8217;s why Activision&#8217;s held all details about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3&#8216;s multiplayer as closely guarded secrets until this weekend, when their first Call Of Duty XP convention assembles fans from all over in southern California to frag their hearts out. The trailer unfolds as almost a sort of recurring grudge match, where you watch one character roam through a map causing havoc and ending lives, only to have the same sniper take him out time and again. Throughout the sequence, you see hints of the changes to come to Modern Warfare 3&#8216;s multiplayer. There seems to be some sort of dog-tag collection, new air strike types that can be called in and new field equipment, too. All right, you eagle-eyed COD fanatics, what do you see in that trailer? What do you want Activision to put into MW3 multiplayer to make it a more fun for you? (MORE: Activision&#8217;s Field Generals Talk &#8216;Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3&#8242;)<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=95985&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/news/gaming-culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Five Awesome Games from PAX Prime 2011</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/02/five-awesome-games-from-pax-prime-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/02/five-awesome-games-from-pax-prime-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:30:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indie games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trailers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=95772</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While the cosplay memories of the 2011 Penny Arcade Expo may fade, the glimpses of great games to come will keep gamers warm for many nights. Coming right at the cusp of the end-of-year holiday rush, PAX Prime seems to be serving as a last peek into the crazy months of September and December, as well as planting seeds of awareness for games that might impress in the next calendar year. (PHOTOS: Who Are You Supposed to Be?: Cosplay at PAX Prime 2011) Here are five games—most of them from small independent development teams—that excited me at this year&#8217;s fanfest. Quantum Conundrum Maybe the biggest surprise at this year&#8217;s Penny Arcade Expo was the announcement of this new game from Kim Swift, the co-creator of Portal. Developed by Airtight Games, Quantum Conundrum&#8216;s a physics-based first-person puzzle game to rescue quirky inventor uncle Professor Fitz Quadwrangle. This uncle&#8217;s a famous scientist who&#8217;s disappeared and you&#8217;ll need to visit rooms in his sprawling mansion and shift them into various dimensions, like the Fluffy Dimension where heavy things become much lighter. QC&#8216;s going to be a downloadable title that&#8217;s out early next year for Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. MORE: Custom &#8216;Portal 2&#8242; Video Game Level Built for Marriage Proposal (gallery continues on next page&#8230;)<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=95772&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/news/gaming-culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Taking You Higher: &#8216;Jetpack Joyride&#8217; Review</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/01/taking-you-higher-jetpack-joyride-review/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/09/01/taking-you-higher-jetpack-joyride-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:00:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iOS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ipad]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iphone]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=95623</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I first saw Jetpack Joyride a few weeks back, it was still being called Machine Gun Jetpack. It was after my demo of Fruit Ninja Kinect–also made by Australian dev studio Halfbrick–that I saw a quick run-through of the still-brewing iOS game. I haven&#8217;t been able to stop thinking about it in the months that have passed. The sensation I&#8217;ve been living with since seeing Jetpack Joyride recalls the same lingering yearning I got from walking past a new stand-up video game machine in the packed arcades of yore. Every novel coin-op cabinet felt enticing and exotic–Jungle King, Mappy, X-Men vs. Street Fighter–even if the gameplay experiences weren&#8217;t that good. (MORE: A Cut Above: &#8216;Fruit Ninja Kinect&#8217; Review) Jetpack Joyride won&#8217;t have that problem. It boasts the prefect blend of accessibility and challenge, wrapped up in a fun graphical package and augmented by an achievements overlay. After Halfbrick&#8217;s mascot Barry Steakfries steals an experimental jetpack from a scientific laboratory, the core gameplay happens in a continuously side-scrolling environment.  To help Barry escape, you simply need to tap anywhere on the touchscreen and little bursts of thrust will keep him aloft and shooting bullets from the jetpack. The longer you run/fly, the higher your score gets. As you run or fly, you collect coins that you can use to unlock items and upgrades. The challenge comes in avoiding the electrified hazards, oncoming missiles and floating laser arrays that get randomly generated every time you play. The timing of a jump is a life-or-death scenario and in true old-school fashion, it&#8217;s a one-hit Game Over if you hit any of the hazards. If you collect a spin token along the way, you get the chance to spin a slot machine for prizes at the Game Over screen. The power-ups you collect let Barry go through the game in slightly different ways than the standard jetpack, even as the single tap input remains the same. The Profit Bird&#8217;s a bright red avian airship that flaps its wings and spills money every time<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=95623&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Reviews</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/reviews-features/reviews-reviews-features/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>The Worst Thing About &#8216;Deus Ex: Human Revolution&#8217;</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/31/the-worst-thing-about-deus-ex-human-revolution/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/31/the-worst-thing-about-deus-ex-human-revolution/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:00:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=95476</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Based on critical reception alone, the newest Deus Ex will likely be a hit. And that&#8217;s with good cause. Human Revolution is a great game, designed to support a variety of approaches and chock full of the kinds of nuts-and-bolts customizations that make a player&#8217;s experience feel really unique. But it&#8217;s also a huge title and the problem with that is players probably won&#8217;t see everything. In fact, it took a random tweet for me to find out about the worst thing in Deus Ex: Human Evolution. A thing named Letitia. (MORE: Excellence from the Machine: &#8216;Deus Ex: Human Revolution&#8217; Review) Letitia&#8217;s a really bad part of a really good game. When lead character Adam Jensen encounters her in Detroit, she&#8217;s picking through the trash. It becomes clear that she&#8217;s an informant from Jensen&#8217;s police days and, as their conversation continues, she gives Jensen a few hints and a general sense of the mood of the city. Letitia&#8217;s horrible character design doesn&#8217;t stop you from exploring the cyberpunk world of 2027. Instead, she makes you wonder about how she even came into existence. Look, I get what Letitia&#8217;s supposed to be. She&#8217;s an informant in the Huggy Bear mode, the street person whose access to the underworld helps the hero get to the next part of the plot. Is she a have-not? Absolutely. Does she sound like the other have-nots in the game? Absolutely not. From 1:57 to 2:12 of the above video clip, Letitia talks about people losing jobs and homes, going on to say that the city feels likes its going to explode. If things were different, if Letitia was at all recognizably human, you could read those chunks of text as either a reference to the infamous 1967 Detroit Riots or the current discomfort created by the global economic downturn. The potential metaphorical depth that DXHR could hold in that moment gets squandered by the character delivering it. Letitia talks about people losing employment and real estate, and it makes one ask if she  ever had either<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=95476&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>10 Things You Need to Know About &#8216;Madden NFL 12&#8242;</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/30/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-madden-nfl-12/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/30/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-madden-nfl-12/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Aug 2011 12:30:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[football]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Madden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=95284</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every year, people complain about EA&#8217;s Madden franchise. I know; I&#8217;ve been one of them. &#8220;It&#8217;s the same game every year. Nothing&#8217;s really different.&#8221; But this year&#8217;s edition of the best-selling football sim actually does look significantly changed from its most recent predecessors. EA Sports developers gave us a rundown of the recent tweaks and improvements that fans can expect to encounter in Madden NFL 12. If you&#8217;re on the fence about whether to pick up the game, you might want to take a gander at the next few pages. (gallery starts on next page&#8230;)<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=95284&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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			<media:title type="html">Madden NFL 12 Box Art</media:title>
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		<title>Who Are You Supposed to Be?: Cosplay at PAX Prime 2011</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/29/who-are-you-supposed-to-be-cosplay-at-pax-prime-2011/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/29/who-are-you-supposed-to-be-cosplay-at-pax-prime-2011/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:30:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cosplay]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=95207</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Maybe it&#8217;s because it&#8217;s a fan show, but Seattle&#8217;s annual PAX show (the original one&#8217;s called PAX Prime now that Penny Arcade&#8216;s set up an East Coast show in Boston) always sets a high bar for cosplay. From Nintendo stalwarts to newer cult favorites to games like League of Legends, this year saw a nice diversity of clever costumes. Here&#8217;s a gallery of our favorite dress-ups from PAX Prime 2011 (all photos by Techland&#8216;s Evan Narcisse) Female Pokemon trainer (gallery continues on next page&#8230;)<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=95207&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Price Drop: $250 Xbox 360 Kinect Bundle at Walmart Next Week</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/25/price-drop-250-xbox-360-kinect-bundle-at-walmart-next-week/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/25/price-drop-250-xbox-360-kinect-bundle-at-walmart-next-week/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:30:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Deals & Shopping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kinect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[walmart]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=94997</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Price drops. They can be handy. Just ask Nintendo. The company&#8217;s challenges with the just-launched 3DS have been well-documented, but their recent price drop on the handheld has spiked sales. Sony&#8217;s said that fans shouldn&#8217;t expect the Vita handheld this year but quelled disappointment by announcing their own price drop for the PlayStation 3 last week. The Blu-ray game console is now retailing for $250, down from $300. (MORE: Is Nintendo Going to Reveal a Redesigned 3DS Next Month?) So, what to do if you&#8217;re in the market for an Xbox 360? Apparently, you should head to your local Walmart next week. According to a rumor that&#8217;s breaking today, the giant retail chain will be offering a 360 + Kinect bundle for $250, knocking off $50 from the current price of the same bundle. This move isn&#8217;t a Microsoft decision, though. In a statement on Joystiq, the company says Walmart made &#8220;an independent decision to implement this temporary price cut.&#8221; Could be a response to the PS3&#8242;s price change or it might just be a strategy to position the 360 attractively for the upcoming holiday rush. This offering of Microsoft&#8217;s console-and-motion-control is cheaper than Sony&#8217;s, since the PS3 + Move bundle has an MSRP of $350. Sony has yet to announce bundle pricing that reflects the PS3&#8242;s new standalone price. (The Wii&#8217;s current price is $150, as of this May, if you&#8217;re wondering.) It&#8217;s been almost a year since Kinect came out and set all kinds of records as the fastest selling consumer electronics device ever. After a middling crop of launch games, a batch of better, more intriguing titles is finally coming out for the motion-sensing camera. If you&#8217;re looking to get a 360 for the first time or just want to replace an old-school unit that&#8217;s red-ringed on you, start watching your local Walmart very closely. MORE: A Cut Above: &#8216;Fruit Ninja Kinect&#8217; Review Evan Narcisse is a reporter at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @EvNarc or on Facebook at Facebook/Evan.Narcisse. You can also continue the discussion<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=94997&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/news/gaming-culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Is Nintendo Going to Reveal a Redesigned 3DS Next Month?</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/23/is-nintendo-going-to-reveal-a-redesigned-3ds-next-month/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/23/is-nintendo-going-to-reveal-a-redesigned-3ds-next-month/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:30:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nintendo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rumors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3ds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nintendo 3ds]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=94667</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Everyone keeps talking Nintendo. The latest scuttlebutt concerns a Japanese event happening on September 13th, which rumormongers seem to think could mean a redesign for the newly-cheaper Nintendo 3DS portable. The 3DS-centric happening is only two days before the start of the Tokyo Game Show, the perfect time to announce a new take on the beleaguered handheld. It&#8217;s also be a good time to announce new games, plans for celebrating Metroid&#8217;s 25th Anniversary or more details on Wii U. But the topic du jour is the 3DS. (MORE: The Nintendo Difference: What&#8217;s at Stake for Mario&#8217;s Kingdom) French site 01net.com [WARNING: French] quotes a source close to Nintendo as saying a new 3DS with a right analog stick will be the big reveal. Said stick would be an add-on peripheral that&#8217;d cost $10. While a major hardware revision like this at such a time seems unlikely, it&#8217;s good to remember how long the hue and cry for a second stick on the PSP went on for. And when it was finally made part of the Vita&#8217;s design, there was much rejoicing. If there are new 3DS developments on the horizon, I for one hope it&#8217;ll be the announcement of a 3DS XL. If Nintendo wants to continue its stereoscopic strategy, a bigger viewing screen would seem more attractive. It&#8217;d also make the movies and other 3D content that they&#8217;re making available more compelling. I wouldn&#8217;t turn my nose up at a right analog stick, either. But that elusive 3D sweet spot might be less annoying with a bigger screen to focus on. The Japanese event is only a few weeks away, so we&#8217;ll see what Nintendo has in store. MORE: Techland and Kotaku on the Nintendo Difference: Past, Present and Future<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=94667&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Rumors</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/news/rumors/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Custom &#8216;Portal 2&#8242; Video Game Level Built for Marriage Proposal</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/23/custom-portal-2-video-game-level-built-for-marriage-proposal/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/23/custom-portal-2-video-game-level-built-for-marriage-proposal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:00:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pc]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[valve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=94639</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Since Valve introduced co-op play to Portal 2, it&#8217;s fair to say that the mind-bending physics puzzler&#8217;s brought people together. But Gary Hudston had something even more permanent in mind. As he tells it on Twitter, Hudston says that his girlfriend Stephanie isn&#8217;t a big gamer but really got into Portal 2&#8216;s co-operative problem-solving. Hudston knew that he wanted to propose to his girlfriend in a very special way and got in touch with Valve&#8217;s Erik Wolpaw and Ellen McLain, who does the voice of villainous AI GlaDOS. He then found modder-designers Doug Hoogland and Rachel Van Der Meer, who built him this custom level. The best part of this is how clues about the ulterior motive of this level are seeded from the very beginning. McLain does her usual great job as GlaDOS and Hudston says that his girlfriend played through the first part of the level with no clue as to what was going on. Stephanie said yes when she turned away from the screen to find Gary on bended knee. It&#8217;s actually a really good Portal 2 level, to boot. Windows PC users can download it here and you, too, can be loving with portals. MORE: Portal 2 Review: Our First Perfect 10<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=94639&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Gaming &amp; Culture</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/apps-web/gaming-%c2%a0culture/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>Techland and Kotaku on the Nintendo Difference: Past, Present and Future</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/23/techland-and-kotaku-nintendos-past-present-and-future/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/23/techland-and-kotaku-nintendos-past-present-and-future/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Aug 2011 17:00:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nintendo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nintendo 3ds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wii]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wii u]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=94583</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week, the fine folks at TechHeads asked yours truly and Kotaku&#8217;s Stephen Totilo to talk about the current status of Nintendo and gaming topics. You can see Stephen and me jaw it up below, but there were other points I didn&#8217;t have a chance to make that I wanted to add to the discussion: &#160; • Nintendo doesn&#8217;t bring loss-leader consoles to market The video games industry generally operates on the onerous razor-and-blades business model. That&#8217;s when the razor gets sold below what it actually costs to make, with the idea that customers will come back again and again to buy the blades. All of a sudden, it makes sense why a four-pack of blades costs $20, eh? For example, when the PS3 launched its baseline version at $500 in 2006, Sony was actually losing approximately $300 per unit. The lure of Blu-ray and a growing library of games was going to be what helped Sony recoup those losses. Microsoft endured a similar shortfall with the launches of both the original Xbox and the Xbox 360. (MORE: Nintendo&#8217;s Wii U: Gimmicky, Practical, Fascinating) Nintendo&#8217;s never conducted itself that way. They generally don&#8217;t take the onus of R&#38;D upon themselves, preferring to use already extant technology in innovative ways. Nintendo global president Satoru Iwata says they see themselves as a software company first: &#8220;The point is not necessarily the limit of the technologies, but rather we should think in terms of the software, whether or not we would be able to come up with a new great software idea is the key. At Nintendo, it&#8217;s very different. The poor guys in hardware development always have to ask the software developers, &#8216;Is this the year that you are likely needing new hardware?&#8217; [Laughter] Of course there are some people who really love high-tech at Nintendo and I have to admit that some of them must be sometimes frustrated. I will say, however, that everybody at Nintendo is pretty much aware that it&#8217;s not hardware nor is it software alone, but it&#8217;s<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=94583&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Nintendo</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/companies-2/nintendo/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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		<title>God Said Knock You Out: &#8216;El Shaddai&#8217; Review</title>
		<link>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/23/god-said-knock-you-out-el-shaddai-review/</link>
		<comments>http://techland.time.com/2011/08/23/god-said-knock-you-out-el-shaddai-review/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 23 Aug 2011 14:00:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Evan Narcisse</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gaming & Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Reviews]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[playstation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video Games]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[xbox 360]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://techland.time.com/?p=94506</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In 2011, the Rapture was supposed to come. It didn&#8217;t. Instead, we get a video game based on the Bible. Well, sort of. El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron takes its inspiration from the Book of Enoch, an apocryphal text authored centuries before the birth of Christ. Even though it isn&#8217;t considered canonical in most Judeo-Christian traditions—except the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Churches—the Book of Enoch does get referenced in the Old and New Testament. In El Shaddai&#8216;s version of the Book of Enoch story, angels called the Grigori (or Watchers)—who were supposed to observe and safeguard humans—mate with them, resulting in unholy monsters called Nepheleim. God, of course, doesn&#8217;t like this. The Almighty&#8217;s right-hand angel Luciphel suggests that in lieu of an apocalypse to wipe the planet clean, one righteous man named Enoch could do battle in His name and defeat the angels. (And, yes, Luciphel later becomes Lucipher.) Enoch makes his way to the Tower of Babel, and finds that the seven major Grigori have created their own realms inside the blasphemous structure. Their idea is outdoing God at the whole world-creation thing. God, of course, doesn&#8217;t like this, either. The would-be holy vision proffered by El Shaddai doesn&#8217;t ape Michelangelo or any other medieval masters who codified the look of God, demons or angels. There&#8217;s hardly a beard in sight. It channels anime culture and a slick hipsterism into its characters. The overall feel is spare and cool, with Luciphel done up in designer jeans and calling Our Father on a mobile phone. With flowing blond locks, Enoch looks like he could be on Gossip Girl and his armor resembles something out of Fist of the North Star. El Shaddai&#8216;s art direction delivers lush landscapes, no matter whether they&#8217;re haunted and barren or kaleidoscopic overloads. You&#8217;ll feel like you&#8217;re walking through a feverish prophecy. In contrast to the visual splendor, you&#8217;ll encounter a minimalist, one-button fighting mechanic. The rhythm-based combo system means that the more spaced out your button presses are, the more powerful the resulting move<img alt="" border="0" src="http://stats.wordpress.com/b.gif?host=techland.time.com&#038;blog=5290478&#038;post=94506&#038;subd=timenerdworld&#038;ref=&#038;feed=1" width="1" height="1" />]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
	<primary_category>Reviews</primary_category><primary_category_link>http://techland.time.com/category/reviews-features/reviews-reviews-features/</primary_category_link>
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			<media:title type="html">evnarc</media:title>
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