Hello, and welcome again to The Lost Level. Gosh, we sure did miss you, so it’s really good to see you again. How have you been? We’ve been doing well. We all had a chance to see Iron Man 3, but we all didn’t agree on it. No surprise there, right?  Just wait until we get into the thick of it. Did you hear about the latest gaming news, like the three new GTA V trailers or the next Madden  game not coming to the Wii U. Oh boy. Let’s not forget about everything going on in the movie world. Marvel gained back the rights to Punisher, Blade, and Ghost Rider and Ron Perlman wants to do a Hellboy 3. We obviously have a lot of catching up to do, so let’s just get to it. 

Bienvenidos to The Lost Level. Enjoy the sun, the sand, the ocean, and the gentle sound of our voices in your ears. This week, Alex and Adam talk about their experience with the remake (Reboot? Sequel?) of Evil Dead. From there, we discuss the latest news in games and movies. We have the NPDs for March to get through, as well as our take on Xbox possibly reviving “Heroes,” a TV show that took a turn for the worse during its later seasons. Furthermore, we talk about Robert Downey Jr.’s unsure career path, the future of the Star Wars franchise, and some news on our favorite TV shows. Finally, you’ll be shocked to hear what movie Adam is actually interested in going to see. So grab a beach blanket, put on some sunscreen, and don’t drink the water.

Greetings, Lost Levelers. I have gathered you all here today so that we can bear witness to episode fifty-eight of The Lost Level. An episode in which Alex and Adam recount their trials through the world of Colombia in BioShock Infinite. An episode in which we witness the fall of the once-great kingdom of Lucas Arts. An episode in which we listen to the debate of an “always online” Xbox rage forth. An episode where, sadly, we mourn the loss of Roger Ebert.

Yes, we will have the latest news in video games and movies. Yes, we will make fun of each other. Yes, a good time will be had by all. So, join me brethren (and sistren?) so that we may listen to… The Lost Level!

Seriously, though. It’s cool. You should listen.

Hey there, listeners. Do you like The Lost Level? Do you like it’s cool, refreshing taste in your ears. Do you like the bubbling feel on your brain? But do you hate what it does to your waistline? Then this week we have something special for you: Diet The Lost Level. In this version, we cut out the padding segments and go straight into the news. There’s no “What Have You Been Up To?” or special event for us to fill you in on. Just some good ol’ fashion talk concerning the latest news in video games and movies, with the same rich and bold taste that you have come to love. Try it out. We promise that you won’t be disappointed.

Alright listeners, put your game face on. Is it on? No? That’s fine, I’ll wait… You’re good now? Then let’s proceed. It’s episode fifty-six! This week we have Alex and Adam talking about their latest space oddity with Dead Space 3. Adam, who apparently has all the time in the world to play video games, also talks about his adventure in the newest reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise from developer Crystal Dynamics. From that point we go into our weekly discussion on the latest news in video games and movies.

Guys! Guys guys guys guys guys guys! Next Gen is coming! Yes, Sony officially announced that PlayStation is coming, so how could we not talk about it on our podcast. Adam and Alex discuss why it has them so excited, while Chris is old and fears change. Granted this generation of console has lasted 7 years, so he just probably grew comfortable and complacent in playing Halo as he drinks hot cocoa while wearing his robe and slippers that are most likely bunny in theme. From that, we go into our weekly news in video games and movies. So, won’t you join us as we anticipate the future.

Did you guys miss us?! The correct answer is yes, but I’m sure you were all smart enough to know that anyways. We have episode fifty-four ready to serve to you piping hot on a plate. Chris and Alex discuss A Good Day to Die Hard, and the the crew talk about a poll that the… ahem… fine people at GameStop conducted. From there, we go to the latest news in video games and movies, including January’s NPDs, speculations about the PlayStation 4, and the up coming X-Men movies. We hope you’ll enjoy listening to a sultry voices again after such a long break.

I know you all have been holding your breath for this, so here it is: our top games and movies from 2012. I’m glad we got this out there, because a few of you were starting to turn a little blue in the face. Yes, we are finally going to reveal our top 5 video games and top 3 movies of the past year, as well as some honorable mentions and the ones that didn’t live up to our expectations. We’re not angry at those movies and games, just disappointed. 

We also discuss Valve’s Steam Box, or what little is known about it thus far, as well as what we hope it does for the gaming industry as a whole. Then from there, we have our usual discussion on the latest news in video games and movies. So come reminisce with us about the past year, and help us look forward to what the next years will bring. We do hope you enjoy yourselves. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Okay, I know we’re a little late in communicating that sentiment, but the holidays are a busy time for us. There’s all the gift buying, and bad gift returning, and visiting the family in the hopes that this year won’t somehow involve the police but of course it will. It always does…

With our first episode of 2013, Adam and Chris talk about Django Unchained. We also discuss the patent that Sony applied for that would essentially link  games disks to a limited number of consoles. Take that used game sellers! Then we wrap it all up with video game and movie news for the week. Oh, and Chris tries to justify his purchase of a Kinect again. That silly Chris.  Let’s see what antics he gets in this year!

Hey there, Lost Levelers. It’s you’re favorite time again. No, not Hammer Time. It’s a new episode of The Lost Level. This week we have Alex talking about Silent Hill: Downpour in the latest  ”Backlogged” segment. We also get into the latest talk about the next generation of consoles that will be sneaking their way onto store shelves. Also, Adam lets his imagination run free with the known details for the X-Men: Days of Future Past movie. We have news. We have laughs. Please, join us.

Guys! It’s episode fifty! We made it! So bust out the champagne while listening to this very special episode where we talk exclusively about games. There’s a lot of video games coming out around this season, and its hard to cover them all. However, we’re doing our very best to give you, our loyal listeners, our thoughts on some of the hottest titles that are coming out. So what games are we going to discuss this time? Let’s go down the list. We have Halo 4, the latest game in the popular franchise helmed by a new studio: 343 Industries. We also get into the new DMC demo, which is also a popular series being handled by a new developer. This time it’s Ninja Theory pulling the reins. Next is Assassin’s Creed 3. Then Chris plays Persona 4 Golden, a handheld J-RPG, and actually likes it. No, really. It’s weird. Finally, we fellate The Walking Dead by Telltale Games a little bit more as we give out final thoughts on the first season.

It’s that time of the year again, and in this episode the guys break down their frustrations with the crazy gaming price drops! How can someone be upset about deals? You’ll have to listen to find out! Black Friday can be a haven for amazing deals, but what kind of message does it send to loyal consumers when they buy a game day one, only to see it for less than half price just a few weeks later? Aaron and Chris get into this topic, as well as talk about their interesting experiences on Black Friday! Listen now!

If you have a topic you’d like us to discuss please let us know, we’d love to go off on listener submitted rants!

For loyal Lost Levelers we are recording The Lost Level: Episode 50 this weekend, so look for that next week! It will be a very full episode with so much coming out since the last episode! Also, maybe a certain Christina will finally be back from her hiatus, we shall see!

If you haven’t played Aksys’s hit game on the Nintendo DS  “999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors,” then you have been hiding under a rock and need to come out. Aksys recently came out with their sequel “Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward” for the 3DS and PS Vita.  They have made some of the best puzzles I have ever seen in a video game in a long time. Not to mention that they’re actually enjoyable to figure out and get your mind working.

Continue reading: Review: Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward

Welcome to a very movie-heavy episode of The Lost Level. There wan’t much to talk about this week in terms of video games, but to make up for that the crew gets to tell you what they thought of Wreck-It Ralph. So, hopefully that will give you enough of a video game buzz for this week. Then we jump right into movie news. Again: not much to talk about in terms of video games. What gives? Anyways, the team weighs in on the whole Disney/Lucasfilm thing. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then we appreciate you finding time to crawl out from under your rock to listen to our podcast.  We hope you enjoy it

Continue reading: The Lost Level: Episode Forty-Nine

It took us a while, but we finally got that impossible plastic wrapping off our brand new podcast! And with only minimum bloodshed, go us!

In the first episode of Lost Control the guys dive right in and hide no shame as Aaron and Chris admit to their sad obsession with collecting Skylanders. Chris often denies it, but he felt it was time to come clean about his repeated trips to the store to find those damn things. Aaron shares a great story about his will power, and the thought process he has before he makes a purchase.

The other topic they discuss is one that has made a lot of waves here at Lost Level. The Microsoft rewards program. We did discuss this on a recent episode of The Lost Level, but the guys get into the numbers here, and those numbers with shock you!

If you’re interested, click on more to learn about the origin of the new podcast.

So Disney, the super-mega-giant company that it is, has decided to become even more super, mega, and giant. After already owning Pixar and Marvel, they have decided to add yet another company under their belt with their acquisition of Lucasfilm. Yes. That Lucasfilm. You know, the one with Star Wars, Indian Jones,  Labyrinth, Willow, and Howard The Duck. It also cost them $4.05 billion in cash and stocks.

The news doesn’t stop there. Disney is talking about a brand news Star Wars trilogy, of which the first movie they want released in 2015. So, we’ll have a trilogy of trilogies. It will be interesting to see where Disney goes with the series. Can they redeem the franchise for the fans that have felt scorned by the prequels? And can we finally get a Howard the Duck sequel.

Hello listeners,

These weeks away from you has been a trying time. We counted the hours as they passed. Every day that we couldn’t contact you was a day of darkness. Thankfully, a light of hope and joy has broken through the blackness that was our absence, and we come bearing a new episode to help you get through the restless nights. Adam and Chris talk about their lovely vacation to Silent Hill: Revelation 3D. Also, Alex reveals a dark secret that nearly traumatizes Adam. Other than that, we have our usual discussion about the latest news in games and movies. I hope this letter finds you well, and hopefully not too many night pass until we can meet again.

With Great Love,

The Lost Level.

Silent Hill Book of Memories is a reinvention of a series that most gamers have come to know and appreciate. Instead of the classic game play, Book of Memories is given a Diablo type feel in this new dungeon crawling version of Silent Hill. WayForward Technologies has also incorporated a multi-player aspect to this dying franchise in hopes of bringing the series back to life and maybe adding new fans along the way.

No, your eyes do not deceive you. This is, in fact, a new episode of The Lost Level. The boys make the best out of a slow week, with Adam and Alex giving their impressions of Dishonored, an new IP that is a breath of fresh air in an industry being plagued with sequels. From their we go into the latest news in video games and movies. We have September’s NPDs for you, along with some news from the God of War front and more superhero movies, because we just can’t get enough of those.

If you’re waiting for a review to decide whether you should get Borderlands 2 or not then you’re making a mistake. Close this web browser and run to your local store that carries the game and just do yourself a favor and purchase it. Don’t think about it, don’t wait for a sale, just don’t even hesitate and get it

Continue reading: Review: Borderlands 2

The boys are back! Hang out with the dapper gentlemen of Lost Level as they discuss such classy topics as movies and video games. This week, Chris, Adam, and Alex all talk about their experience with Borderlands 2, and the addiction that it has placed upon them. Thankfully, Chris and Adam were both strong-willed enough to tear themselves away from their respective gaming consoles long enough to see Looper so that they could give you their impressions of this latest sci-fi time traveling movie. Finally, we go into the week’s news for video games and movies. Now, let’s get his show on the road.

Frankenweenie is the latest stop-motion animation from the mind of Tim Burton, and by that, I mean another thing that he decided to remake. You can go into this movie expecting it to be pretty much like any other Tim Burton movie. It’s about a suburban kid, Victor Frankenstein, who brings his dead dog Sparky back to life. Craziness ensues. Think of it as Edward Scissorhands meets Corpse Bride, but the bride is a dog. You have a cast of strange, outlandish, and sometimes stereotypical characters that are enjoyable to see on the screen, if not a little disturbing at times, but you don’t generally create any empathy for them. It seems as though a lot of them are there just to be weird and set the atmosphere.

While on the subject, the atmosphere of the movie can be rather disturbing when you take into account that this is suppose to be a family film. More conservative-minded parents may actually want to shy away from this movie if you care about the fragile little minds of you precious children that you keep sheltered from the horrors of the outside world. There’s death, grave robbing, monsters, and a cat that predicts the future with its poop. There’s a particularly gruesome shot toward the end that could scar a younger mind, though I thought it was pretty cool.

So I heard about this a while ago and IGN actually posted a video on how it works. I do admire the funny little blurb about the diamond card at the end of the video I watched since we all know how well that worked out. I will say that I think their achievement levels should be a little higher as I know a lot of people actually might be at the legend (25,000 +) already. I think there should be another level beyond that with more amazing deals. We will see how this pans out but glad they’re actually doing something cool for the gamers. Looking forward to my birthday month in March to unlock my special legendary gift.

IGN: Xbox Live Reward Program!

Hello, loyal listeners. Welcome to a very new, very dense episode of The Lost Level. We have a lot discuss this week. Chris and Adam both got to see Resident Evil: Retribution, and they give us their impressions of the movie. Keeping with the franchise, Alex and Adam tell us what they thought of the Resident Evil 6 demo that was recently released to the public. Next, we pass it off to Christina for a new Pocket Gamer segment where she talks about her experience with Little Big Planet for the Vita. But, wait. There’s more! We go back to Chris and Adam, who both got to see Dredd 3D. From there, we have our usual open discussion about the latest news in video games and movies. So, pull up a chair and have a seat. You may be here a while.

Anyone that knows me or has read anything I have been posting these last few months knows that I have been excited for LittleBigPlanet PSVita. I got into the beta and everything looked promising. Why the long face then? Well, you have to read to find out

Continue reading: Review: LittleBigPlanet PSVita

Listen. You may want to sit down for this. Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk, the co-founders of BioWare, both announced that they will be leaving the game industry, and they probably won’t come back. I know. It’s sad. Both Muzyka and Zeschuk posted separate letters explaining their decisions to leave. It basically boils down to them reaching a point in their lives where the passion for the industry has left and they are looking for new ways to challenge themselves.

Muzyka and Zeschuk have definitely done a lot for the industry by supplying outstanding games, such as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur’s Gate, and the Mass Effect series. They have basically revolutionized the way stories are told in games. Muzyka was kind enough to give EA six months’ notice to help make the transition as smooth as possible. However, I can’t imagine the company will be the same without their presence, especially when you consider the fact that lead writer Drew Karpyshyn left in February. That being said: all of their games were products from the hard work and dedication of an entire team of very talented people. While their future games may end up being different than what we’ve come to expect from BioWare, I still have faith that the quality will still be outstanding.

On behalf of the whole Lost Level crew, I’d like to thank Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk for their incredible contribution to a great industry, and we wish them the best of luck.

Oh, hey. I didn’t see you sitting there. Welcome to Lost Level: Episode Forty-Four. Please, have a seat and make yourself comfortable. Christina is back with us this week. Isn’t she a doll? It’s so nice to have her back. In this episode’s What You’ve Been Up To Adam recounts his experience with Splatterhouse. From there we go into our usual discussion of the latest news in the video game and movie industries, and I can assure you that silliness and good times are had. So, sit back, get comfortable, and enjoy.

Put those PSNetwork and Credit Cards away because PlayStation is giving Sony fans Zen Pinball 2 for free! Now go turn on your systems and download it!

Listen. I need you to try and contain your excitement, but episode forty-three of out Lost Level podcast is now available for you to listen to. You don’t need to tell me how awesome that news is, because I already know. The only sad thing about it is that Christina couldn’t be with us again. Thankfully, we were able to make up for it with a lively discussion of The Walking Dead: Episode 3. Ironic. Chris and Adam then talk about the latest “Leviathan” DLC for Mass Effect 3, and then Adam gives us his impressions of Binary Domain. Finally, we delve into this week’s video game and movie news. Now stop jumping for joy and start listening.

There was a party for the 25th anniversary of  Metal Gear the other night, and a lot of interesting news came from it. No, it’s not that Hideo Kojima got drunk and started a fight with a coat rack, though that would be awesome. First off, Metal Gear Solid, the game that is always mocked as already being a movie, is going to be made into an actual movie. The film was announced by X-Men and Spider-Man producer Avi Arad and is being made by Columbia Pictures. It is unclear at this moment how much influence Hideo Kojima will have in its development

Continue reading: A Lot of Metal Gear Solid News

So I am sure by now most Call of Duty Black Ops fans have heard in the last 24 hours that they announced a CARE PACKAGE and HARDENED edition. If you haven’t seen the contents yet then I am here to inform you on prices and what you’re getting for all that money

Continue reading: Call Of Duty Black Ops II Editions

We’ve dug into the archives and found an episode that didn’t quite make the cut. Old Man Chris couldn’t be around for this episode, the the kids get to have some fun without the adult around. In this episode Adam and Christina talk about their experience with PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale,  Christina is back with a new Pocket Gamer segement in which she discusses Sound Shapes, and from there we have our usual video game and movie news. Let the hijinks ensue!

UPDATE: Since this recording took place S.H.I.E.L.D. was picked up by ABC, not AMC as discussed on the episode.

I don’t really have much to say except that Psychonauts will be available on the PlayStation Network next Tuesday which made me jump for joy! Now if only they would re-release the game with trophies and achievements! One can only hope!

Black Isle Studios, known best for developing the original Fallout games and Planescape: Torment, closed its doors in 2003. Now, nine years later, it seems they have decided to take another swing at the game-making business. This was discovered after a new website of theirs popped up with links to  Facebook and Twitter accounts. While official details are still unclear, it appears that Herve Caen, Interplay’s CEO, is the person responsible for this reemergence.

However, the thing I’m more interested in is whether or not they will be able to catch up with the industry. Gaming has come a long way in a decade, and trends have changed.  Do you think Black Isle can become relevant again, or will they end up offering games with a more “old school” feel while piggybacking off of their previous successes?

After few weeks’ break we are back with some all new ear candy. That’s right! Episode forty-two of The Lost Level is availble for you to enjoy. Christina couldn’t join us for this episode, so the men get to have some fun without the woman around.  Alex is back with a brand new Backlogged  segment where he discusses The Witcher 2. Beyond that, we have our video game and movie news that you have come to expect and love. So pour yourself a nice brandy, light up a fine cigar, and enjoy our gentlemanly discussion for this week.�

Continue reading: The Lost Level: Episode Forty Two

Power!  Nintendo still exists but there magazine after 24 years of publication will cease to exist. Sales have decreased the last few years which is sad to hear if you have purchased a gaming magazines ever in your life time. I have read that the editors and staffers will be transitioned to work for other Future properties. The last issue is said to be memorable so I would figure out when and where you can get your hands on one as I am sure it will become a collectors item at some point. If I can find a stack you better believe I will be purchasing all of them.

The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia was a compendium that was originally released in Japan last December. Now, according to a listing by Diamond Book Distributors, it appears as though North America will be receiving their own version of the guide to the Hyrulian universe thanks to Dark Horse Books. The book, slated to be released on January 29th for $35, includes a timeline that maps out the series’ storyline, concept art, and other materials. Sadly, January is just a little late to make an awesome holiday gift.

I have an addiction to anything that rolls around like a little blob in a video game. The minute I saw Sound Shapes and its little one eyed blob I had to buy it. It reminds me of Japan Studio’s ‘Loco Roco’ and Juicebox’s ‘Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack!!!’. To say the least I haven’t put my controller or Ps Vita down since last week

Continue reading: Sound Shapes

On my downtime this summer I have been playing my extensive back log of video games. Kingdoms of Amalur was one of those games I purchased earlier this year but didn’t have a chance to play when it came out. It was launched right before the PS Vita and Mass Effect 3.  Although they tried to market demos with tons of downloadable content with Mass Effect 3 and Kindoms of Amalur to the same crowd of fans,  Mass Effect 3′s release left players uninterested in Kingdoms of Amalur and almost left forgotten. Even worse, 38 studio was closed recently

Continue reading: Review: Kingdoms of Amalur

Today is a good day. Disney has officially announced that Joss Whedon is on to be the writer and director for The Avengers 2. But wait! It gets even better! Apparently Mr. Whedon is going to help Marvel and ABC develop the previously rumored television series that will take place in The Avengers universe, which sounds like a very hefty undertaking. The Avengers 2 is planned for a Summer 2015 release and still not much is known about the live-action television series, but this has me eagerly awaiting to see what will come from Marvel Studios.

When Valve started to use the original Source Engine in 2004, it was a force to be reckoned with. Amazing games like Half-Life 2, Portal, Left 4 Dead, and Vampire: The Masqureade – Bloodlines (shut up, I loved that game) ran on that Valve creation, and all those games… most those games still hold up today. However, technology and gaming has come a long way since 2004, and it’s about time the game engine gets an upgrade. Thanks to some hacking, we may have found that the upgrade is in development.

Some of the more script savvy individuals at ValveTime.net have discovered codes in the Source Filmmaker that reference a “Source 2 engine” and along with tool icons that that were labeled as such. It’s even been found to be listed as a “next-gen” engine, which suggest that we will be seeing it with the PlayStation 4 and Xbox something-or-other. I, for one, am really excited to see what Valve has up their sleeve and what games will be birthed from this new engine if it, you know, actually comes into existence in a reasonable amount of time. It is Valve we’re talking about here. Remember how long it took thetm to release Half-Life 2: Episode 3? Exactly.

In this stylized remake of the original Arnold Schwarzenegger movie we have Colin Farrell taking the role of Douglas Quaid. Douglas is a factory worker that is troubled by reoccurring nightmares and one night he decides to try a place called Rekall – a company that provides fake memories. His life is turned upside down when things don’t go as planned. Total Recall is a huge action/adventure that takes place on a post-apocalyptic earth where only two countries remain. In order to get to each country the government created a massive underground elevator called “The Fall”. Total Recall is full of promise, but it never lives up to its predecessor. It ultimately feels like an unnecessary remake of a much better film.

Evan (Ben Stiller) is a man that appears to have everything he could ever want. Evan has a career that he loves, a wife that loves him, good friends, and a terrific house in his quiet stereotypical suburban neighborhood. Shortly after we are introduced to him things start going array. He takes it upon himself to start a neighborhood watch because a local resident gets brutally murdered and the police weren’t doing enough to catch the killer. He enlists Bob (Vince Vaughn), Franklin (Jonah Hill), and Jamarcus (Richard Ayoade ) and one evening on patrol they get more than they bargained for. That’s basically The Watch in the nutshell.  It’s a simple story that has potential to be a very funny but the jokes are too few and far between. There are laughs in The Watch, however most of the jokes fall flat. Some of the best scenes are in the trailers, and if you choose not to see this movie you wouldn’t be missing too much.

Back in 2001 I would spend countless hours playing my PlayStation 2. I would play classics like Crash Bandicoot, GTA III, ICO, Disgaea, and Jack and Daxter, just to name a few. Jak and Daxter was one of my favorite plat formers to play back in the good old PlayStation days. To show my enthusiasm, I pre-ordered the HD Collection just to relive that part of my youth.

Continue reading: Review: Jak and Daxter HD Collection PS3

Unit 13 is the first third-person shooter to come out on the PS Vita. Currently, there is a small library for the PS Vita so almost everyone by now has considered buying Unit 13 or owns it already. The difficulty level is pretty much set to hard in my opinion.

Back in 2008, Copper Innovations filed a lawsuit against Nintendo claiming that the Wiimote an Wii infringed on Coppers patent for a ”hand held computer input apparatus and method” that was made in 1996. Today, the summary judgement was granted in Nintendo’s favor by the Pittsburgh U.S. District Court, making a trial by jury unnecessary. Considering  the video game company has been bleeding money as of late, this is a really good thing for them. We’re not sure how many more financial blows they can take.

Richard Medway, Nintendo of America’s deputy general counsel, had this to say: “We are very pleased with the court’s decision. Nintendo has a long history of developing innovative products while respecting the intellectual property rights of others. We also vigorously defend patent lawsuits when we firmly believe that we have not infringed another party’s patent, despite the risks that this policy entails. I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the tireless efforts of our legal team.” Hopefully this is a sign that more good things are going to happen for Nintendo.

Hello fellow readers! I would like to apologize for my long delay in writing.

Continue reading: My apologies!

The Lost Level: Episode Forty One is here for your listening pleasure! In our What You Been Up To? segment Christina and Adam discuss their experience with the Little Big Planet Karting beta. Will Gamestop survive the next generation consoles? Find out our thoughts about the latest news coming from Gamestop as we sound off in our Lost Control segment. It’s a great conversation, and a great look into our ideas of the next generation. Episode Forty One is full of thought provoking conversation and outlandish hi-jinx. We had a lot of fun making this episode! We hope you enjoy it! Listen now!

The Lost Level Round Table: The Dark Knight Rises is a spoiler heavy podcast. So this is your warning, if you haven’t seen this movie yet then please wait to listen to the podcast until after. The Lost Levelers discuss the story, the characters, and the ending to the Christopher Nolan Batman universe. Find out what we thought about the last chapter to the series. More importantly let us know what you think. There has been some great discussions about this movie, and we’d like to know if you agree, or disagree with us? Find out what we thought now!

We are back! The Lost Level: Episode 40.3 is slinging its web all over The Amazing Spider-Man. In our first ever Versus segement it’s Christina and Alex versus Adam and Chris in a battle over who was right about the movie! We try to dissect Christina’s review and see what she adored so much! We don’t stop there because Alex also played the game too! He gives his review and discusses the Stan Lee pre-order bonus we all want to know about! Rounding out the cast we cover the news in games and movies.

Thank you for your patience! As you can see I am trying to set the record for exclamation points in one post! So stop reading this and listen now!

As a special treat to our fans we recorded a Round Table for The Dark Knight Rises! It will be out later this week. Stay tuned! EXCLAMATION POINT!

The Dark Knight Rises is the epic conclusion to the Christopher Nolan trilogy starring Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne. The movie starts off eight years after the events of The Dark Knight. The Batman has retired, and there has been relative peace in Gotham. That’s until a new villain comes to town, Bane, played brilliantly by Tom Hardy. Nolan’s take on Batman has always focused on the psychology of what drives a man to do such extraordinary feats to protect a city. The Dark Knight Rises completes the Bruce Wayne/Batman character arc and is largely satisfying to the fans. There is so much content in this movie it almost feels like it’s too much. Rises has the longest run time of the three, and as much as I didn’t want to see this franchise come to an end there are many things in the movie that could have been cut to strengthen the film.

The Lost Level family sends its deepest condolences to the families of the victims in Aurora Colorado. These horrific actions were a disgusting blemish on what should have been a night of celebration and absolute fandom. For the fans of Christopher Nolan’s Dark knight series last night was the icing on the cake, a final encore to a trilogy so dear to our hearts. To hear that someone took this opportunity to invoke pain and suffering on others is truly appalling.  Since the event I have watched my news feed(s) swell with the typical reactions to these types of tragedies, media outlets all looking to try to put their own personal spin on the coverage. Unfortunately, just like clockwork you see the typical trolls in the media take this type of event and impose their own personal reasoning, and ideas on why this type of thing happens. Sure enough, it wasn’t very long until I heard the “violence in our movies and video games” excuses transpire. In the next several weeks we will see everyone interviewed from witnesses that were there, to the man living on the corner 20 blocks away. People will come forward for their 15 seconds of fame and say they knew the gunman etc… By doing this we give the people that do these actions exactly what they what. Attention.

Please acknowledge the tragedy for what it was, and realize just how horrific it is, but don’t encourage people to exploit these types of actions for their own personal agenda.

Our thoughts are with those families right now.

-Chris

*Please note that this post is strictly the opinion of one of the members of Lost Level, and not the opinions of the Lost Level, its partners, bloggers, or anyone loosely associated to Lost Level. 

As with any popular franchise, you’ll get a lot of fans adding to the universe by producing their own content. We’ve seen it before with series like Fallout and the “Fallout: Nuka Break” videos. One of the latest games that seems to be getting this treatment is Assassin’s Creed.

“Assassin’s Creed: Resistance” is a fan-made movie that is currently in production. We can tell by the trailer that it takes place sometime in the future. All of the flashy, glowing projectiles kind of give it away. That’s… all we really know about it right now.  Just enjoy the trailer until we get to see more of it.

Hello again internet, it’s been awhile. I wanted to provide our fans an update on why you haven’t heard episode 40 yet. We recorded the original episode 40 about two weeks ago, and unfortunately it wasn’t up to the standard that I have as the founder of Lost Level. Lostlevel.com has evolved a great deal since its inception, and we are currently to a point where I want to produce the best quality episodes possible rather than posting something just to hit a dealine. With 39 episodes under our belt we have learned a lot. I feel that we have came a long way in terms of audio quality and content. So our 1st attempt at episode 40 just didn’t feel right. I was going through something personally, and it come through on the cast. I made the tough decision to sit on it, and we rerecorded a brand spanking new episode 40 last night. It was a huge success! It was a great episode, full of good conversation, and a landslide victory for yours truly in our first ever “Verses” segment. Ok, it wasn’t a landslide, but The Amazing Spider-Man isn’t as good as some people (cough) on Lost Level feel it is. Seriously, a smart kid like Peter Parker using Bing? HAH! I woke up early to edit it today, but the curse struck again; the levels are way off. I tried using a different laptop to record last night and that didn’t work the way I planned. So I am trying to fix the levels to make the episode listenable, but I am only seeing minimal positive results. I am currently searching the internet (not with Bing) to see if there is a way I can adjust the levels better.

I know this is not a video game or movie review but Chris, Alex, and I would like to extend our condolences on the website to Adam.This past week he lost his dog, mans best friend, Zelda.

Continue reading: A Loss To The Lost Level Family

Hollywood decided to reboot Spider-Man, so naturally a video game tie-in was needed to squeeze every penny from the franchise. The Amazing Spider-Man is the first Spider-Man game I’ve thoroughly played since the N64 one. I played a bit of Spider-Man 2 for the PlayStation 2, and I enjoyed swing around New York City enough to be relatively interested in playing this

Continue reading: Review: The Amazing Spider-Man Game

You can now sign-up for LBPKarting! Just click here for a chance to participate in the beta:

This year marks a big year for comic book movies with releases such as The Avengers, Batman The Dark Knight Rises and Sony’s reboot of The Amazing Spider-Man.  It has been ten years since Tobey Maguire played the nerdy high school student that we grew up to know and love in comic books. Since then Sony has cancelled Spider-Man 4 and reinvented the story, cast, director and direction. Almost everyone of my friends were anticipating this movie but also dreading it at the same time

Continue reading: REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-man

Probably the most exciting thing about a new LittleBigPlanet game is that you can guarantee you will get some cool downloadable costumes on day one of purchase if you pre-ordered it. The new Ps Vita and Karting game both come with new costumes that I am pretty excited about!

In the PsVita version you will be getting a BioShock and Knights of Old pack

Continue reading: LittleBigPlanet PsVita and Karting Pre-Order Bonus!

Trailers embedded after the break should give you an idea why. Sure, it’s kind of — and I do mean kind of — like Terminator with an ensemble cast which includes JGL, Bruce Willis, Paul Dano and Emily Blunt. But the reason why I’m saying it’ll be one of 2012′s greatest is because of the director.

Rian Johnson — aside from trolling David Chen’s podcast last year (Google “Super 8 Slashfilm cast” if you could, and it’ll be worth your time I promise) — is a very cool guy and a talented filmmaker. Brick, despite being a wee bit sluggish at times, was a very interesting take on the noir genre, and The Brothers Bloom was… well, I honestly haven’t seen it yet so I really can’t comment on that. But hey, you know, I’ve heard many praises as well so take that as it is.

It’s been 5 years since the game was announced, but ArenaNet is almost ready to let Guild Wars 2 out to the public. The new MMORPG will consume the life of many players starting on August 28, 2012. Honest. It says so in the above trailer.

Of course, there still has to be one final beta weekend to make sure everything is in proper working order. Said beta test will be going on from July 20th to the 22nd, so make the most out of it. I, on the other hand, will be avoiding this game like it’s the plague, as I do with all MMORPGs. Pretending I have a life takes up way too much time to risk another game addiction. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to playing Skyrim.

All together now: “Valve has done it, again!”. These M rated Pixar-like shorts they’re making, honestly, are a bunch of teasers in my opinion. Why can’t they just make a short 30 minute film similar to Cat Shit One? Because that would be fantastic, if not utterly brilliant.

If you didn’t get into the LittleBigPlanet PS Vita Beta don’t worry! Your chance to sign up for another LBP beta is coming soon! Keep checking LostLevel and we will let you know when you can sign up in the US. Currently if you live in Europe you can sign up here.

Do you know what you would do if you had 21 days left before the end of the world? Within the first 10 minutes of Seeking a Friend for the End of the World I began to think about what I would do with my last 3 weeks. Dodge, played by Steve Carell quickly realizes that his life isn’t at all as he had thought it was. With the world coming to an end Dodge is alone, and his friends offer him little to no support. They are too busy doing things like throwing parties and letting their inhibitions run wild. So Dodge decides to open a shoe box of his memories, he seems content with reflection rather than trying to fulfill any last hopes or dreams. Enter Penny, a young and very charismatic girl played by Keira Knightley. The two of them decide to pair up and travel to their separate destinations together. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is portrayed mostly as a comedy in the advertisements, but this movie has a lot of heart, and I was pleasantly surprised by the charm, and the character focused story.

The Lost Level: Episode 39 is a testosterone filled adventure of awesome! With Christina unable to record this week the guys hold nothing back as they discuss strange topics like dinosaurs with laser beams attached to their heads! Alex discloses a sincere childhood memory, and Adam also shares this thoughts on what should come with a collectors edition for the newly announced Lingerie Football game. Yep, it’s exactly what you would expect Adam to say… Join Alex, Adam, and Chris as they discuss Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, 3D Dot Game Heroes, and the news in games and movies!

It’s here… I don’t know about you, but I’ve been nervous about this coming out since they announced it. The internet uproar regarding the original ending to Mass Effect 3 caused so many conversations here at Lost Level. We’ve talked about the ending to death on podcasts, the round table, and just between ourselves. There’s one thing we all can agree on, Bioware didn’t have to make this. They shouldn’t have. They ended the game the way they intended, and considering all the choices a player gets to make across the entire trilogy it stands as one of the greatest accomplishments in gaming history. No matter what Bioware did to end the story of Shepard there was simply no way to please everyone. Bioware gave us to option to choose between three different fates of Shepard at the end, but more importantly they gave us the chance to let our imaginations fill in the remainder.

I believe in the ‘indoctrination theory’ and it is something that has been dissected across forums, and on youtube. If you never heard of this theory I am attaching my personal favorite documentary regarding this theory after the break. If you have time I want you to watch it and understand that if this is what Bioware had intended from the beginning then all the people fighting for a better ending will have to eat crow. If on June 26th Bioware “expands on the endings of Mass Effect 3 through additional scenes and epilogue sequences” by telling us that the indocrination theory is correct, then this will be the best video game ending of all time.

On paper, the premise of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter is silly. The “Great Emancipator” Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president, is a vampire slayer. In practice… well, it’s also pretty silly. There are parts of this movie that are absolutely ridiculous and make you palm your face. Thankfully, that doesn’t mean it won’t be an entertaining experience. In fact, it probably adds to the fun of watching the movie, whether it’s intentional or not. There’s also the great action and visuals to help it along the way

Continue reading: REVIEW: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Saints Row: The Third was very well liked by the crew here at Lost Level. In fact, two of us made it one of our top 5 games of 2011, so we tend to get excited when we hear more Saints Row content is coming our way. The other side to that, however, is the crushing depression that we feel when we hear about that very content being cancelled. It pains me to say that the Enter the Dominatrix stand-alone expansion will not be coming our way in 2012.

Don’t go throw yourself off a bridge just yet. There is a silver lining in all of this. This expansion is going to make it’s way into the Saints Row sequel next year! ”I asked the team what it could achieve given more time, more resources, and a broader scope for the project. We all agreed we wanted to play that game,” says the THQ president, Jason Rubin. “We believe the potential for this sequel is far greater as a full-priced, full-length, high quality, connected experience.” We’ll still be seeing this expansion. It will just be part of a fuller experience. So have some patience.

According to this week’s Famitsu, the game’s scheduled to be released in Japan this coming November.

Still no word on its North American and European counterparts, but you bet that’s it probably coming out around the same timeframe knowing Capcom’s release schedule with their past HD ports.

Xbox 360 owner? They’ll most likely port it there too internationally as evidenced by their Devil May Cry HD collection. Forget what I said there *points to the UPDATE after the break*.

The Lost Level: Episode Thirty Eight is here for your listening pleasure! Prepare your ear holes for some exciting talk that includes discussions on Prometheus, Lollypop Chainsaw, and Christina also covers Gravity Rush in her Pocket Gamer segment! If that isn’t  enough to get you excited we also have a new rant about Nintendo’s continued downward spiral into the abyss of crazypants in our Lost Control segment! Usually it’s just Chris that has a bone to pick, but everyone joins in to lend their opinions on this one! It’s definitely something for the record books! I know what you’re thinking, ‘wow, that’s a lot of great topics!‘ You’re darn right that is! But wait… there’s more! We still manage to cover what’s interesting in the latest news in games and movies. Listen now!

Remember Anarchy Reigns (or Max Anarchy, if you will)? The Platinum Games-developed action brawler that was supposed to come out next month, and prove to the universe (yet again) that PG is a powerhouse Japanese studio that we should all be lucky to have as citizens of the gaming community?

Well, it’s now officially been moved to Q1 2013 thanks to this Twitter post conjured by the good folks at SEGA.

For years we’ve heard news of many video games that would not be released in Australia, because their rating system for that form of media only went up to the age of 15. So, basically, any game that was intended for an older audience due to extreme violence, sex, or anything profane would not legally see the light of day Down Under. However, things have finally changed and the country has passed the R18+ rating, which is the equivalent to the US “M” or the European ”PEGI 18″ ratings.

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare said, “these are important reforms over 10 years in the making.” He went on to say, “the R18+ category will inform consumers, parents and retailers about which games are not suitable for minors to play and will prevent minors from purchasing unsuitable material.” So, congrats to Australia. Hopefully you’ll now be able to legally get a copy of Postal 2, though I’m not sure why you’d want to.

Neversoft’s two biggest claims to fame have been the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series and a handful of Guitar Hero games, both of which have lost considerable amounts of steam in the industry. So, to make them relevant again, Activision is handing off their biggest franchise to the studio and is letting Neversoft take a swing at the Call of Duty series. This… could be interesting.

There were reports of the company hiring talent for a “new action shooter” back in 2010, so this news doesn’t come as that big of a surprise. It’s interesting none-the-less and raises a few questions. How big of a role are they playing in the development of the games? Is it as important as Infinity Ward or Treyarch, or is it a smaller role like Raven Software or Sledgehammer Games? Will this allow the studios to spend three years working on a new title instead of just two years? Is one of the studios backing away from the series? Whatever the case may be, you can bet that a yearly Call of Duty game will be something we see for quite a few more years.

The indie team behind Flow, Flower, and Journey have been very successful with their endeavors. So much so that thatgamecompany (no, seriously, that’s their name) has announced that they are going to become truly independent and will self-publish their next game. They had a three game contract with Sony Computer Entertainment, which they are now free from, and have $5.5 million worth of financing from a deal with Benchmark Capital to help them along the way. Not too shabby.

This good news means that their next titles can be released on multiple platforms. However, the three aforementioned games are owned by Sony, so don’t expect to see them released somewhere else any time soon. This pleasant development was proceeded shortly by thatgamecompany reaching their sixth anniversary of being in business and celebrated by bringing on two new team members to the studio after having a couple other employees part ways. All in all, things look good for the indie studio, and it will be exciting to see what they come up with next.

Sorry for the delay! The Lost Level: Episode 37 is here, and we had a lot of fun recording this podcast. We give our awards for the Electronic Entertainment Expo! Listen as we talk about the best and worst of the show! Who will win for the best conference? Which game blew us all away? We even cover what our individual ‘Most Anticipated’ games are. You’ll never guess what Chris says! Listen now to find out all the answers. To find out the categories, and the nominees for the show click on ‘Read More’

Development team Just Add Water has been working on an HD remake of Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee since last year. However, this isn’t your typical HD remake. They aren’t just taking the old assets and updating them. Rather, they are using the original game as a blueprint of sorts and rebuilding everything from scratch. So, basically, they’re rebuilding all the 3D models, applying new textures, redoing all the animations, recording new sounds, and reprogramming everything. At least, that’s what I’ve gathered from their explanation.

Original reports were saying that the game would be ready by Summer of 2013, but studio coordinator Wil Bunce really doesn’t see that happening. He posted in a forum that there’s ”not one person on the development team who thinks that’s going to happen.” Is it me, or does it seem like 2014 is a long time to wait for a remake of a game that’s about 15 years old at this point?

I remember back when I was in college, and I saw the first tech demo of the Unreal Engine 3. It blew me away. I thought to myself “this is the future of gaming.” Well, that was nearly 8 years ago. We’ve caught up with the future, and now we have the Unreal Engine 4 to take us even further.

The above video shows the Senior Technical Artist at Epic explaining what the engine is capable of as he walks through the scenes. He uses a lot of technical jargon that may be a bit difficult to follow, but it’s interesting none-the-less. If you don’t much care for the specifics of what the Unreal Engine 4 can do and just prefer something pretty to look at, watch the video after the break entitled “Elemental.” Or you can look at my picture at the top of the article. That’s also very pretty.

‘I walked into the room and the guys were already sitting in their usual places. The air was thick with cigar smoke, and the smell of cheap bourbon still lingered in my nose as if I hadn’t finished that bottle hours ago. I gave a silent nod to each of them as I sat down in front of my microphone. We didn’t prep for this cast, well, unless you count that empty bottle as prep. I learned in and clicked the record button.’

The Max Payne 3 Round Table is finally here! As always with our Round Table discussions there are very SPOILER HEAVY and we recommend that you take the time to play the game first, then come back and listen to the podcast. Once you do that let us know what you thought of the game! We’d love for you to share your thoughts!

To most people this game sounds like one big joke. When I first heard the title ‘Theatrhythm Final Fantasy’ I honestly did not have any clue as to what the game was about. I eventually figured out it had to do with music but I wondered what it had to do with Final Fantasy.

Continue reading: Coming Soon to 3DS: Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

One of the biggest problem the E3 over the last few years can be broken down into one word: sequels. This year was hardly any different. We saw a Halo. We saw a Call of Duty. We saw a Madden. We saw THREE separate Mario games. It was all something that we’ve already seen, and, while I am eager to play the next installment of some of my favorite franchises, the thing that really gets me excited about the game industry is something new. That’s why Ubisoft saved the convention for me when they announced Watch Dogs.

Admittedly, I was a little skeptical at the beginning of the demonstration. The UI and the way the game seemed to control looked very similar to Assassin’s Creed. However, I slowly became more captivated by what was being shown as the game progressed. First off, it became very clear that the engine they were working with is something of great power. Everything from the lighting, to the weather effects, to the crowd in the street and club made this virtual reconstruction of Chicago feel alive.

Q*Bert lives! This has so much potential. We can’t wait to see it! What do you think of the trailer?

Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

To commemorate the recent events at E3 The Lost Level team would like to give something to our readers and listeners.  The first person to answer one of my five questions through out the week will win a Ghost Recon Future Soldiers pin and a Lost Level sticker!  Some questions will be about E3 and others will be about our podcast. Once someone wins I will announce the winner and post a new question on our Twitter feed.  To win just contact me at Christina@lostlevel.com. I only have five Ghost Recon pins (shown above) to give away so good luck!

First question, what rating did I give during this last weeks podcast for Resistance: Burning Skies in my new segment Pocket Gamer?

If I were to tell you what Microsoft showed during their E3 press conference for 2012, you’d swear I was confusing it with a previous year. Hell, I’d even question myself. What we were given was new installments for popular franchises like Halo, Gears of War, Fable, Madden, FIFA, Forza, Splinter Cell, Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, Dance Central, and Call of Duty. These are all games we expect to see at this point. Thankfully, they did show us a few new IPs. However, they were hardly anything to get excited over, except for maybe the South Park game. There was LocoCycle (which was strictly a teaser), Ascend: New Gods, and Matter (which was also a teaser). They also showed off Wreckateer, which is essentially Angry Birds with the Kinect.

“Wait, you mean to tell me they’re still trying to cram the Kinect down our throat?” Yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you. We get it, Microsoft. You can talk to your Xbox 360 and tell it to do things. I can also just as easily do the same thing by pressing a button on a controller that I already own. I don’t need to shout at my Netflix to play an episode of  Archer, nor do I want to. Of course, they also tried to showcase the Kinect and how it can be integrated in upcoming popular games, but again: buttons.

Actually, they presented it via one of those “closed door” meetings that only VIPs have access to. Or something along those lines because everyone can be a sneaky ninja these days. But that’s besides the point.

Point is this: Square Enix has a new real time tech demo thingy called Luminous Studio, which looks very pretty (hardly a surprise), and we have some screens (*UPDATE 2* and a video) to prove it after the break.

Oh Nintendo, you seem to be on a two year streak of disappointment. I am sure Nintendo fan boys and girls had their fingers crossed with anticipation awaiting something new and exciting to be announced. Currently those fans are probably crying and feeling a bit of a cold shoulder from Nintendo. No Zelda, Smash Bros, or any other kind of classic Nintendo nostalgia to get them excited about Wii U.

What an exciting first day of E3! Are you following us on Twitter? Adam and Christina have been updating everyone by live tweeting the press conferences and interacting with our Twitter followers all day long. If you haven’t been following us you should correct that immediately! While you are clicking on the link to follow us you can  be listening to the latest episode of The Lost Level! Episode 36 is full of great discussion about the new Batman Arkham City DLC, Snow White and the Huntsman, and we even talk about our E3 predictions! Were we right about somethings, or was Adam wrong about everything? There’s only one way to find out! We also introduce a brand new segment called ‘Pocket Gaming’, hosted by the lovely Christina Rago. So if you are into portable gaming then this is a must listen segment for you. She gives her thoughts on Resistance: Burning Skies and the Little Big Planet Beta for Vita. She does a great job breaking them both down, so you should give it a listen!

What are your thoughts on E3 so far? We’d love to know! So comment on this post, contact us on our Facebook Page, Tweet us, or even email us. Your thoughts could make it into the next episode!

Dear Harley,

I’ve been a fan of yours for as long as I can remember.  It’s hard to believe that you were a “throwaway” character that was originally supposed to be used just once in an episode of Batman the Animated Series… and yet you’ve come so far.  You’ve become somewhat of an icon, so when Rocksteady Studios announced that you were getting your own Batman: Arkham City downloadable content, I was understandably excited.  With a title like “Harley Quinn’s Revenge,” how could it be anything but super awesome?!

Playstation scheduled a dual launch for LittleBigPlanet and Gravity Rush on the PS Vita only to arrive to a disappointing verdict; delayed and delayed. But luckily the disappointment is short lived because Sack Boy fans have been given the opportunity to participate in a BETA test. Having heard about it, I registered and crossed my fingers for a month to get into the exclusive circle of testers. I played both online and offline and from what I have experienced so far, everything runs smoothly and looks amazing. LittleBigPlanet Vita has a big focus on touch screen controls but I didn’t have any problems with this new control scheme as Media Molecule made sure they’re intergrated perfectly with the gameplay

Continue reading: Little Big Planet PS Vita Beta Hands-On

The first things I heard about Dishonored was enough to intrigue me. The process went something like this: It’s a Steampunk/Neo-Victorian themed game, being developed by Arkane Studios and published by Bethesda? Go on. It has lead designers who worked on Deus Ex and System Shock, and has Viktor Antonov, the guy behind the City 17 from Half-Life 2, lending a hand to the art direction? Nice. Tell me more. It’s and actions stealth game? You, sir, have now completly captured my interest. Keep me posted on how the game is turning out.

Since then, we’ve had a handful of screens come out that looked good and a really nice cinematic trailer, but we all know that cinematic trailers can be very deceiving (Dead Island, anyone?). However, we finally got a gameplay trailer, and it looks really good. Like, REALLY good. Just watch the trailer for yourself. You may be surprised how quickly this new IP will climb up you “most anticipated game” list.

I believe Shakespeare said it best when he said Snow White and the Huntsman is full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Walking into this movie I was actually fairly excited to see it. The trailers looked great; however my only reservation was Kristen Stewart. She isn’t the fairest one of them all, and her vapid facial expressions are absolute scene killers. There are moments where she is supposed to convey innocence, and strength. The only emotion on her face was confusion and I was sitting there thinking the same thing she was, ‘Why was she cast in this movie’? Her moment to rally the troops against the queen was so poorly executed that I was beside myself in disbelief at just how bad it was.

What do you get when you cross a devil and a professional assassin? You get our “What You Been Up To?” segment of course! In The Lost Level: Episode 35 we discuss our thoughts on Diablo 3, Hitman: Sniper Challenge, and MIB3! If that wasn’t enough to get you to listen, how about a brand spanking new segment from Chris? This segment is so new that it doesn’t even have a title yet! In Chris’s segment he gets on a soapbox to discuss Paramount and Hasbro’s decision to push G.I. Joe: Retaliation to 2013. You’ll never guess the reason they gave. Wait, you don’t even have to guess, just listen to the cast to find out!

Yesterday, there was an event held in Tokyo specifically for the Zone of the Enders series. During said event, it was announced that the HD collection of the series would be released on October 25th in Japan for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but the international release date still has the vague window of “fall.”

However, the real news that came out of the event is that Hideo Kojima announced that a sequel is in development. Codenamed “Enders Project,” the game is in the prototyping stage, where they are currently converting physical models into 3D models that will be used in their Fox Engine. The above image is an example of one model, which looks much more organic, as opposed to the robotic look that we are more familiar with from the series.  It will be interesting to see where they are going with the Zone of the Enders franchise.

Here is a list of all the retailers  and which one’s will be carrying certain exclusive armor skins when you pre-order Halo 4.

It’s been exactly six long years.  That’s how long I’ve been waiting to get behind the controls of the original assassin; the bald man in the black suit and red tie.  It’s hard to believe that Hitman: Blood Money was released an entire eighteen months before the first Assassin’s Creed in 2007, and that we’ve since had more than half a dozen sequels between consoles and handhelds, yet we’ve been hard pressed for IO Interactive to even make mention of Agent 47’s inevitable return.  This all changed last May with the debut of the Hitman: Absolution teaser trailer.

To say that I was excited to see one of my favorite anti-heroes returning to glory on the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC would be one hell of an understatement, so let’s not even pretend that I wasn’t upset that the game was delayed well past its original release date of this past May 15^th.  Fret not though dear readers, as I’ve got good news for you; we have a means to don the iconic suit and tie as we wait for Absolution’s release this upcoming November 20th.

Battleship happens when a studio head goes on a month long bender and Hasbro has the incriminating photos of their wild escapades. It’s the only way to explain this movie. When you think of the source material one does not simply think “this has to be a movie” as they play the board game. Battleship is meant to be a mindless summer blockbuster starring a couple guys from Friday Night Lights (Taylor Kitsch and Jesse Plemons), and Rihanna. It has a ton of marketing behind it, and just enough recognizable talent to peak some movie goer’s interest, but ultimately Battleship sinks fast with uninspired writing, and lifeless actions scenes.

The Lost Level is back with another episode! In this episode we cover Dragon’s Dogma, Walking Dead:  Episode 1, and the latest news in gaming and movies. This is the first episode with our new equipment, and we couldn’t be happier with the result. With Chris at the controls will it take every ounce of his strength to not “accidentally” disconnect Adam’s microphone? Does Alex’s new mustache get in the way of him dropping knowledge on the latest The Last of Us trailer? Lastly, why does Christina dislike Thor so much? What are you waiting for? Listen now!

Who says 2D games aren’t fun anymore.

Continue reading: Retro City Rampage for PS Vita announced

What do you think when you think turtle beach? Overpriced, problematic or too many models to choose from? I have thought all of the above at some point. I would love to purchase the XP500 but currently I cannot fit that into my budget. Their HDMI adapter does not come with the already expensive models so you have to purchase that separately. Which model do I really need? All these questions always plague my mind when I need a new headset and contemplate buying Turtle Beach. Recently I purchased a headset I didn’t need to think too hard about or too long. The Turtle Beach M5 mobile gaming headset.

Continue reading: Review: Turtle Beach M5 mobile gaming headset

Darksiders 2 was suppose to be released on June 26th. Unfortunately THQ announced that it wouldn’t be able to meet the originally intended street date, which is all too common in the industry. Brian Farrell, THQ CEO, hoped that the delayed was a  ”demonstration of our commitment to quality.” Now the Apacolypse-themed action-adventure game is set to be released on August 14th, which Farrell says, “is a more favorable release window.”

Darksiders 2 already has over five times the amount of pre-orders than the original, which seemed to gain a lot of popularity due to word of mouth. This is surely good news for THQ, considering they saw a net loss of $239.9 million for there last fiscal year, which ended March 31, 2012. They intend to double their marketing spend in hopes that Darksiders 2 will be a hit game that can get them out of the grave they have seemed to dig for themselves. However, does anybody else find it kind of ominous that the main character of the game is Death, the fourth and final horseman of the Apocalypse?

The Walking Dead: Episode 1 – A New Day is one of those games that I really was unsure about when it was first announced. The reason was because I didn’t know how I felt about yet another zombie game coming out. Our society is so obsessed with zombies, and they are everywhere in our media nowadays. It’s just a genre that has been done to death. So, when I heard that they were making a Walking Dead game my initial reaction was the obvious, “That makes sense based on the popularity of the show.” That was immediately followed by an eye roll. I fully expected a half-assed first person shooter that was based on the TV show, and not the comic. I was completely surprised by this episodic game. It is phenomenal.