Yeeeahhh Boi!

This week the ladies from the land of ESH are focused on Epic's finally soon to be released final installment of the Gears franchise, Gears of War 3 on the Xbox 360. We spend the whole show talking about what we expect, goodies you can get and run through the various DLC, Season Pass and UPC bundles available to satiate your Gears needs.

Later on in the week we will share first-time-hands-on experiences with you and update you next week as to whether or not Gears 3 lives up to the hype. For now, grab a frosty beverage and enjoy ESH Podcast Episdoe 262: Gears of War 3 Is a Delicious Part of Your Nutritious Breakfast

No..it's for real this time! Bethesda, publishers of the Fallout franchise announced today in a press release that the Lonesome Road add-on pack as well as two additional DLC packs – Courier’s Stash and Gun Runners’ Arsenal – will be available late September.

Lonesome Road is the fourth DLC pack to be announced for the Fallout New Vegas game. It was set for an initial late July release but was later pushed back. However today we – finally – got our confirmed date as well as some more goodness to follow the preceding week.

Fallout fanatics, circle September 20th and 27th on your calendars – in pen not pencil – because that's when you'll be able to own Lonesome Road, Courier's Stash and Gun Runners' Arsenal respectively.

Set about 800 MS Points (9.99 USD on PSN and Steam) aside for Lonesome Road and about an estimated 480 MS Points (approx 6.00 USD on PSN and Steam) total for the other two DLC Packs.

Courier's Stash and Gun Runners' Arsenal will give players access to the other four content bundles that were only available through preordering the game:The Caravan Pack, Classic Pack, Mercenary Pack and Tribal Pack. Each of these packs will give the player unique weapons, apparel and aid advantages to keep things interesting. Gun Runner's Arsenal will give all those new unique weapons more impact with increased range, more mods, ammo types and more things to be discovered in the Mojave Wasteland.

September looks fun for the Fallout Faithful.

One of the best things about Dead Space 2 are all the atmospheric locales that you get a chance to visit during your stay at the Sprawl.  With Severed, if you enjoyed them the first time, then this is very good news for you.  Most of the rooms you’ll find in this extra are ones that, assuming you’ve played through the main quest, should look familiar to you.  The major difference is that you are heading in the opposite direction.  To its credit, with the paths that were chosen, being able to experience the rooms in reverse actually made them seem quite different.  Probably my favorite part was being able to take it slow through the psych ward, which pretty much requires you to get out of there quickly the first time through.

The gameplay remains exactly the same, but I personally took this opportunity to try and focus on using some of the weapons that I ignored my first time around.  As part of your character, you get a supped up pulse rifle and a special seeker rifle.  The only bummer part of that is when you start a new game with Severed, while you can still earn single-player trophies/achievements, it resets all of the counters for earning them.  The story, while I hope it may eventually have something to do with later installments, could easily be written off, but was fairly fun and interesting to take part in.  It’s not quite as amazing as the main story, but if you’re hungering for more Dead Space 2 action, then it’ll do just fine.

All in all, Dead Space 2: Severed is a fun extension of the single-player content of the game.  With only two chapters, there’s not quite enough time for as solid a story to be developed, but if you’re a die hard fan of the game and you just can’t live without some more content, this is definitely just what you’re looking for.

Right away this stuck out to me because the zed word was attached to it. I’m sure a lot of gamers felt the same way. I can assure you that the undead is not the only appealing factor for this DLC pack though. With something for everyone from multiplayer to singleplayer, and with over 1.7 GB to download, Rockstar doesn’t disappoint with this endeavor.

The new singleplayer story line is quite well written, just as the original story for Red Dead Redemption was. It starts in a similar way, too: With John having a mission to save his wife and son, killing anyone, or anything, that gets in his way. The story seems to be in an alternate timeline and picks up after John has been reunited with his family, but before being shot to hell by the US Marshalls. Now Rockstar could have taken the story straight from an old Romero film, something about radiation, walking dead, hide your kids, hide your wife, blah blah blah. What we got instead was a beautifully written tale about a man trying to save his family from a mysterious and supernatural threat.

To be honest, I would have preferred that Rockstar left the cause of the outbreak a complete mystery. The entire game is spent hearing from survivors that it was this or that, and knowing none of them are right. For me, the ending was a bit lax, the final level not hard enough, and lead up not tense in the slightest. But everything before the ending is an A+ in my book. Meeting with old friends and helping them to save their town, or putting two in their brain and making sure they stay in their grave this time. Rockstar really raises the bar for story telling with this game, and Undead Nightmare is no exception.

Story is great and all, but what about the action? The unadulterated fun of having a pack of flesh-eating maniacs bearing down on you as you pick them off with well-placed shells from your shotgun? It is here in spades. The zombies are spread into four archetypes: your basic freshly made corpse, shambling, biting, and scratching. Then you have your bolters, the fast type of zombies, this game goes the extra creepy mile in the design of these crazies, making them run on all fours as they advance on you faster than you can get your gun from its holster. Bruisers are big ol’ monsters with a charge attack that will knock you off your feet, and hit points to spare. Finally we have the retchers, radioactive zombies with a spit attack that explode upon re-death.

Not to mention all the undead versions of the animals roaming the plains, skinless cougars, headless coyotes; the bears and wolves haven’t changed that much, though they are still just as pants-shittingly huge and annoying as hell in packs, respectively. I also noticed a lot more goats all over the place, and they are all black in color, with enlarged horns. I am assuming it’s some sort of satanic symbol to go with all the rest of the hell-on-earth stuff. Along with the undead animals there are a few legendary beasts to tame and kill. From Sasquatch to ride-able unicorns that leave rainbows in their wake. There are plenty of new challenges that involve killing the undead in their various forms, and a slew of new weapons to do it with.

A torch replaces your trusty skinnin’ knife and is the perfect tool for fending off your brain-craving adversaries when you run low on ammo. Undead bait is a new thrown item that attracts the undead to where it is thrown, and when combined with dynamite has bloody results. Holy water is basically a fire bottle that only hurts zombies, the blue fire looks much cooler though. And the blunderbuss is a weapon that makes the explosive rifle look like a pea shooter. You can load it with anything, and that means anything you find on the corpses of the undead. Ribs, eyes, tongues, claws, teeth, all of these make excellent projectiles, and the blunderbuss will turn a tight pack of zombies into a cloud of red mist.

I spent so much time playing the singleplayer campaign that I hardly had time to try out the new multiplayer modes. Undead Overrun is your basic horde mode. Wave after wave of zombies, each level with a time limit that can be increased by opening a coffin that spawns with ammo inside. Up to four players can play and have to beat each wave by killing a certain amount of zombies to fill up a red bar. Downed players can be revived, and will need to be if you want to fill your undead death quota. Holy water acts a little differently in this mode, just try it out to see, you won’t be disappointed.

Land grab like king of the hill, something I am terrible at, I can admit it. Thus, I haven’t spent much time with it, but it can certainly be fun defending your territory from other players that will do anything to take it from you. There are also some new undead skins to use in multiplayer, including Zombie Rickets (pictured above). For ten dollars, Rockstar delivered a gem for anyone out there that likes to put the walking dead back to rest. I can’t recommend this enough to anyone who enjoyed the main game either, that same charm from Marston and the gang is still there, just a bit more.. grim. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back on my unicorn and live in harmony, harmony oh love.

From the looks of the video the undead are no longer the big threat in the world of Trine. Fleshy monsters now populate the countryside, and they seem to have better tactics in battle. The co-op is going to be online and local, which opens more options for playing with your friends. I personally can’t wait to get a friend or two together so we can experience this game in its full glory. Timing will be very important I’m sure, and frankly the game just looks amazing when played with impeccable timing.

Spring 2011 is a broad and far off goal, but I will be keeping my eye on this one. The original Trine provided me with hours of unique gameplay and the atmosphere the game creates is one I won’t soon forget. Hopefully Trine 2 will pick up where the first one left off but one thing is for sure, it has some big shoes to fill.

The first thing I did after downloading the Liars and Cheats pack was head toward the nearest hunting ground to see what it would be like. It was just my luck that this was the cougar hunting ground. After a few excruciating maulings from the animal I now fear more than most mythical creatures, I got a great laugh when I saw the name of the boss of the cougars: Demi, the legendary cougar. The other three hunting grounds are similar in that they pit the player against waves of wild animals before a boss monster appears. The real fun is playing these levels with a posse, as the bodies will fly on both sides and it becomes a hectic battle of survival of the fittest. The seven new gang hideouts, in addition to the hunting grounds, add a lot of life to the free roam experience.

Though the new gang hideouts are short, they bring more life to the map. Now a gang hideout run takes a lot longer and has much more variety. Many of the hideouts play differently as well. For example, one of the new hideouts is an all out brawl out in the open where most of the enemies are toting shotguns; another has you defending a house from a few waves of enemies. Not to mention, that all of the new hideouts give you access to the explosive rifle upon victory. It comes with five shots and doesn’t gain ammo when you go over an ammo box. This new weapon is a lot of fun, despite not fitting in at all with the old west feel of the game. Rather than firing a slow projectile like most explosive weapons, it is better to think of the gun as making an explosion at the spot you are aiming when you pull the trigger. It makes enemies taking over into a cloud of blood in no time flat.

I feel the next two features, multiplayer gambling and horse races, should have been in the game right from the start. At the very least, they don’t warrant a ten dollar purchase by themselves, but they are a fun distraction. Poker’s fun factor truly depends on your opponent(s). I played one game where the only other person at the table either folded or went in on every single hand. Two games later and I’m in a nice long game where all the players are playing fairly smart. Just like the game itself, finding a good game in poker is in the luck of the draw. Liar’s dice is a little more fun, if only because it is a more rare game, poker is everywhere, but this is one of the only video games that allows me to play liar’s dice.

The horse races are a fun way to spend some time. They start just like you’d expect them to, but then after about ten seconds or so weapons become live. This means that each player can now use their shotgun, revolver, and even their knife to try and take other players out of the race. This means that slower players can still win races with tactical kills. After being shot down, a player will respawn, but the death gives a large disadvantage. Ammo does not replenish after a respawn however, so conservation is key.

The new game mode, Stronghold, adds a little more variety to the competitive scene. Stronghold is an objective based attack and defend playlist. Two teams of players take turns defending and attempting to take a series of points on the map. The attacking team is given a certain amount of lives and a timer, if either of these runs out, the defenders win. The overall winning team is decided by either who has captured the most points, or who has captured their points in the least time. The different maps give a lot of variety. Fort Mercer is a large map with plenty of gun emplacements, cannons, and different types of terrain. Whereas Escalera is a smaller map where enemies are around every corner, and the battle is much more fast paced. The larger maps have better weapon sets for both teams to make up for the distance that is generally between you and your opponents. Smaller maps like Escalera only allow for less powerful guns for the short range combat. In either case however, the attacking team is given better weaponry (namely dynamite) to make up for the field advantage and unlimited lives of the defending team.

All in all, no matter what part of the Red Dead Redemption multiplayer you enjoy, this pack has something for you. A lot is added to the free roam co-op experience, and the competitive gameplay gets a nice boost as well. Not to mention that this pack also allows players to play as single player character skins (look for me as Irish). While a few of the features should have been in the game from the start, this pack adds enough to be worth the ten dollar price tag for most gamers. I bought it, and I can’t wait to play some more stronghold and go clear out some more gang hideouts with my fellow cowboys/girls.

The new DLC “Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution” is going to deal with that Claptrap’s rise to sentience and the uprising he is stirring up with his Claptrap brethren. The vault hunters (that’s you, the players) will be hired by the Hyperion Corporation (albeit reluctantly, as they want you dead just like everyone else in the game) to put down this revolt for the good of Pandora. Throughout the new missions you will fight old enemies with a new twist. Skags, bandits, rakk, and more have all been outfitted with Claptrap parts to make them even stronger for you. Not to mention the hordes of angry, oppressed claptraps. Even old bosses will be making appearances with a new “Claptrap-ified” look.

Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution is set to hit the market in September. It boasts 20 new missions, as well as 10 earnable skill points, and 3 more backpack upgrades in total. This will be a chunk of content that is not to be missed and will retail at $9.99 on PSN and PC, or 800 points in the XBLA

“A year ago Borderlands was an untested brand that through hard work and a lot of passion, turned out to be one of the best-selling, claptastic and skagtacular games we have ever created,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “A year later, we are releasing our fourth DLC installment, Claptrap’s New Robot Revolution, which illustrates our enthusiasm for creating highly entertaining content that enhances a franchise. In addition to serving as the perfect bookend to the original game, what gamer doesn’t love a kung-fu-wielding Ninja Assassin Claptrap with nunchuck skills?”

The mention of it being a “bookend” makes me think this will be the last installment in the Borderlands DLC packs. I myself will be the first in line for Borderlands 2 when it inevitably hits shelves sometime in the future.

The Backlog:

We’ve all got them, the games that have been gathering dust on our shelves for months, or occasionally years, just waiting for you to dive right in.  Now is a perfect time to give them the attention they crave.  Personally, I have a good five or six that not only haven’t been played, but are still shrink-wrapped.  Slow times like these are a great excuse to pull off the wrapping and get going on those forgotten classics.  In addition, if you’ve got some extra cash laying around, take a gander at your local game retailer.  You never know how much the game you’d been meaning to play but never picked up has dropped in price.

The Downloadables:

Despite the fact that Nintendo’s virtual console is barely throwing us crumbs nowadays, there are plenty of fun and affordable times to be had with downloadable games.  Limbo is a prime example of an incredibly fun title that is only available via download.  The price of said games is another good reason to consider this option.  Even if you’re looking for something to tide you over for a very long time, you can get awesome stuff like Grandia or one of the Final Fantasy games as a PSOne Classic.

The Completionist:

Even when you’ve played through everything you own, with trophies and achievements, there is always more to do.  With the recent Dead Space kick I’ve been going through, I went back and got my platinum medal and it was honestly a blast.  Going for that one-hundred percent in a game can be rewarding in many ways.  Sure, you get that wonderful notch on your TV stand, but it also helps you to explore areas of the game you hadn’t considered.  I highly recommend doing it at least once, perhaps with one of your favorites.

It will not be long before the hits start coming faster than you can open your wallet, but take this time and enjoy your games.  Perhaps you can even pull off a triple-threat by getting a one-hundred percent complete on one of the downloadable games in your backlog.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a backlog on my Nintendo 64, so I need to get cracking.

Ninja brings up the Sony 3.41 firmware issue which is causing some unfortunate souls who do the update to end up with malfunctioning PS3 and then moves on to Amazon's new Kindle announcement.

Pandalicious chimes in with her thoughts on the the finally released Alan Wake DLC The Signal as well as her theories about the ending of the game in general. Both sisters have been playing some Crackdown 2 this week and Panda gives you the newbie review of the game as well as thoughts on Crackdown/Gears of War comparisons.

Games and gadgets and then games again, this episode of the podcast is wall to wall fun. Need more convincing? Here are some of the titles we came up with but didn't use:

• The Nook E-Reader Just Sounds Dirty
• Thank You, YouTube, for Sucking Even Less
• Return to the Psychoneurotic Institute for the Very Very Nervous
• If You Fall In Love In Silent Hill, Bring Along a Tether Strap
• He Carried His Big Stick Proudly
• What? No Cryogenics for Carmine
• and finally
• We Compare Videogames with the Menu at Burger King

So grab a cup of your favorite whatever and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 208: It's the Sonypocalypse - DUN! DUN! DUN!

Legends and Killers Pack (Releasing beginning of August 2010)

New active map locations, characters and more:

Liars and Cheats Pack

New Competitive Modes, Multiplayer Mini-games in Free Roam, and more:

• ‘Attack and Defend’ Multiplayer Competitive Mode and Challenges
• New Multiplayer Horse Races complete with mounted combat
• Play as the heroes and villains of Red Dead Redemption as well as 8 additional multiplayer characters
• Multiplayer versions of Liars Dice and Poker from the single-player game
• Introducing a new weapon: the Explosive Rifle, with associated Challenges available in single-player and multiplayer
• New Achievements/Trophies
• Release date TBC
• Pricing: $9.99 (PlayStation Network), 800 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE)

Free Roam Pack

Delve deeper into the world of Red Dead Redemption with new Modes, Challenges and Gang Hideouts to discover:

• Additional Free Roam Challenges
• New action areas and defensive placements
• Posse Scoring / Posse Leaderboards
• New ‘anti-griefing’ measures in Free Roam
• Release date and pricing TBC

Undead Nightmare Pack

Ghost towns and cemeteries come alive in a West gone horribly wrong:

• Brand new single player adventure, Challenges and quests
• 8 New Multiplayer Zombie characters
• Additional animals unleashed in the world
• New Dynamic events
• More details to follow...
• Release date TBC
• Pricing: $9.99 (PlayStation Network), 800 Microsoft Points (Xbox LIVE)

My only gripe here is the pricing. The first package, scheduled for August, seems to be adding the most to the multiplayer competitive experience. It is essentially a map pack with characters from the game that inspired Red Dead Redemption. Ten dollars there seems like no biggie, and I understand that pricing; even though I myself prefer to play in free roam over the competitive matches. However, the very next DLC on the list seems like a big list of what should have been in the game right from the start.

I remember the first time I signed into the multiplayer after having completed the game. A friend of mine was already around level 30, and hadn't seen a single character from the main game as an unlockable. Sure enough, we looked up the "legendary" characters, most of which are extremely disappointing, and there wasn't a single main character from the single player. I wasn't greatly upset, but it certainly was confusing. The rest of the list isn't any better: horse races should have been one of the first things implemented, especially since many, many gamers' first thought was that this would be GTA: 1911; not including multiplayer versions of the gambling mini-games wasn't vexing, but it also isn't worth paying for; and I certainly am not going to shell out cash for a new play list.

Just about the only thing in the package that I could see with a price is the deliciously awesome sounding explosive rifle. Though even that has its drawbacks, as so far everything has been very -in the time period- an exploding rifle doesn't seem to fit. The third on the list doesn't have a price point yet, and I only hope that is because it will be free. To be honest, that Free Roam Pack looks like the notes you receive after a big patch, NOT after a purchased DLC package.

The final DLC harkens my thoughts back to CoD:WaW. While a gimmick in every way, zombie modes are more fun than they really should be. This DLC is the only other one besides Legends and Killers that I could see myself paying for, because I just love putting rotting flesh back into the dirt. From the wording, it seems like "zombie mode" will only be in single player, though considering there will be zombie multiplayer skins, I am hoping that it will see some free roam play in the form of a "gang hideout". Except the gang will be hordes of zombies. One little note in that one catches my attention as well, and that is the mention of new animals. Now, I assume right away that it means "zombie skins for existing animals that we are calling new animals". However I have hope that Rockstar may add in new boss animals, like the ones faced in the hunter challenges.

So from the look of it, Rockstar may be suffering from "it's-on-the-disk-but-pay-for-it-anyway syndrome". It is a disease that is affecting the industry in the worst way possible. I just hope that a cure is found soon, otherwise our bank accounts may develop super anti-bodies to fight off the infection.

Rockstar recently released Red Dead Redemption, as if you didn’t already know. While this game is hard to call “unfinished” it certainly has its quirks: great story, though it gets slow at times, with a powerful ending that fits the game’s theme, amazing graphics for such a large and open world, and gameplay that’s player approved. So what’s the issue? Glitches galore.

There are plenty of odd things that can happen in single player, ranging from the occasional game freeze, to the rare breed of donkey woman. But more annoying, are the online glitches and sometimes faulty connections. I can’t count the times that I’ve been kicked from one free roam session to another because of connection issues. This of course might be my fault, but I never have issues with other games and always stay connected during private free roam even with multiple players, so for now, I’m chalking it up to the game. There’s also the issue of some challenges not registering, gang hideout missions never ending, and enemies spawning inside of rock walls that have to be killed with expertly placed sticks of dynamite.

But hope stands tall on the horizon. Rockstar has announced that they are sorry for all the glitches and are working hard on a patch for RDR as soon as possible. In the mean time, they are releasing two formerly preorder exclusive costumes for free as DLC.

Free DLC doesn’t make a good developer. Hard work that gets put into patches to keep the game fun, and running smoothly, that’s what makes a good developer. Sure, games like MW2 get their biannual ten dollar map packs and it keeps players satisfied and playing for a while, but it takes a real bold dev team to say “we messed up, but we’re fixing it.”

So thank you Rockstar, may you take your place amongst the most trusted game developing companies out there. I plan on playing a lot more Red Dead, even after I get that 100% in single player (stuck at 99.3% >_<) and I’m glad to know that when I find an issue, I can report it, and expect a fix to come out to keep the gaming fun and bug free.

Naughty Dog never ceases to amaze with their DLC, and it’s no different this time around. Siege mode is a welcome addition to the hectic Uncharted 2 multiplayer realm. The few rounds of it I’ve played so far really emphasize what it feels like to be playing in the main game. Moving around looking for cover, scrounging for ammo, and making the best of your surroundings because you can’t move on without getting some kills. I will admit that it is just a glorified survival mode with king of the hill thrown in, but it’s also so much more.

All living teammates must be in the circle that needs to be defended for the bar to fill. Not to mention no points are awarded for any kills made when even one team member is outside the circle. Don’t think for a second that doesn’t get frustrating; my first round of siege mode was on one of the new maps, and one of my teammates took it upon himself to explore the entirety of the map while me and the other guy tried to hold down the capture point. Once you and your team gain a rhythm however, it becomes a lot easier to hold down the fort.

The main difference here is, it’s a mobile fort. Every round the game changes the location that needs to be held for completion. This makes the mode a lot harder than survival, where a team can just hole up in the best equipped building. Not to mention the enemies seen are slightly different, as the armored soldiers appear in much earlier rounds. Alongside this great mode comes two new maps that really blew me out of the water.

Museum feels a lot like many of the other maps in Uncharted 2, which is a good thing: plenty of buildings to climb and ground to cover. The water effects on the fountain in the middle of the map are a little lax, but I suppose every water effect looks bad when compared to the torrents of rain that fall in the Flooded Ruins map, which was released in the last DLC bundle. The actual museum is reminiscent of the main game, as strewn about the shelves are many of the treasures obtainable throughout the story.

Highrise is where the bundle really surprised me. It feels completely different from the other maps so far, on a good way. There’s a collection of blown out buildings, all connected by makeshift bridges. The map is very vertical, but allows for many styles of play. You could take your sniper rifle to the highest tower and take your enemies out one by one. Or, you can grab your shotgun and patrol the hallways, safe from sniper fire. Either way, there’s always danger waiting around the next corner. During co-op you have to be very careful about sticking together as it is very easy to lose the location of your partners. Oh, and keep your ears open, if you hear raid alarms going off, you’re going to want to get inside. A helicopter comes by and fires a barrage of missiles at the buildings. Unlike the chopper on the Plaza map, these rockets can and will kill you.

The skins, I’m sad to say, are mediocre at best. Two reskins of Skelzor (though the glowing green one is sort of cool), the two skins from the preorder bonus, Drake in his wetsuit from the first scene of the first Uncharted, and the undead explorer from the main game, the same skin that was playable during the Halloween weekend event. None of the new skins have a wet look either, not even WETsuit Drake. I would have been happier if he just always looked like he just leapt into a puddle, but oh well.

The 11 new trophies will surely keep players coming back for more as well. All in all, it’s a pretty packed bundle of presents for Uncharted 2 fans. I recommend it to anyone that enjoys the multiplayer of 2009’s game of the year. Now I’m just left wondering if they’ll ever let us play outside of custom on “The Stage”. I know it’s just a level that is supposed to show off the various gameplay mechanics, but if they made the weapons spawn on both sides, and balanced out the cover a little, it’d be one heck of a battle scene.

Brought on by an audience question from last week NinJaSistah kicks off the show talking about the recently released Mass Effect 2 DLC "Kasumi: Stolen Memories" while Pandalicious digs into the Resident Evil "Mercenaries" DLC.

Sure, we talk about a bunch of random things and somehow end up adding the iPad and gaming. on the iPad to the list. Need more justification for picking up this episode of the podcast? Check out some of the titles we came up with but didn't end up using for the show:

• This Time It Will Be Different
• Get Loyalty and a New Outfit in Just One Mission
• Why Is There No Spinal Tap Tap App?
• A Black Guy Looking for a Black Girl? Now That's Fantasy

Now, I'll warn you, there is a fight about a certain vampire themed series of books and their value but you should listen to the episode and decide for yourself what team you'll side with.

So grab that morning cup of joe (or whatever you like to drink as your first cup of the day) and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 192: Garbage On Sale Is Still Garbage (Nu Uh)

Poor poor Madison Paige. She just can’t catch a break. Maybe if she stopped looking for serial killers, she would stop finding them.

The awesome thing about this little extra is that it still feels very much like Heavy Rain.  I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.  The setting was moody, the characters were both relatable and terrifying, the quick-time events were beautifully executed, and all of the other things that made that game one of my favorites of the year so far.

The only major difference I noticed was how much more this felt like a game.  When I was playing the main story for the first time it felt like this expansive story that I was having a major impact on.  It even surprised me how I still have not met anyone who had a remotely similar ending.  With The Taxidermist, you can almost see the switches being flipped giving you the different outcomes.

Part of this is because it outright dares you to go back and discover every last ending.  After the story concludes it presents you first with a newspaper clipping and then a set of bullet points with check marks next to the endings you’ve seen.  It is also much less forgiving from what I remember of my first outing with the game.  One or two hiccups and you’re done.  While in Heavy Rain this would simply mean that the story would move on, this presents you with what is arguably a “game over” screen.

While this made it a little more transparent, it also ramped up the terror quite a bit for me.  Knowing that I was half a second from death during most of the events really helped bring me into the moment and care whether or not I was succeeding.  The story may be short, but it is consistently fun and exciting to keep coming back.  If you enjoyed Heavy Rain, then you will most certainly have a fun, if not a bit terrifying, time with The Taxidermist.

Video game cheating that is.
In this episode the ladies talk about GDC stuff including Fable 3, Mass Effect 2 DLC, and the Playstation Move (Does it like to Move It, Move It? Just wondering) and Panda does a full-on review of Final Fantasy 13. We do spend a big piece of the show on the cheating thing though, so be warned. Need more of a reason to listen to the show other than the sibling fighting? Check out some of the titles we came up with but didn't use:

• It's Work to Be the King
• Panda Believes in Naked Gaming
• Here's Your Guide for Halo: Get a Gun, Shoot.
• Hell's Not Meant to Be Easy
• We Mention Tiger Woods — Insert Your Own Joke Here
• Sony's Betting You'll Want to Move Your Glowing Balls
• and finally
• Spoiler Alert — No Panty Shots in Final Fantasy 13

It's time to grab your favorite cup whatever and enjoy ESH Podcast Episode 188: He's Gotta Chocobo in His Fro?!?

In the past I have made no bones about the fact that I am a rhythm-based-game junkie [DJ Hero, Beatles Rock Band, Rock Band 2, Rhythm Heaven, you name it I've played it] but in all honesty I haven't touched MTV Games Rock Band 2 in a couple of months. The DLC announcement this morning will change that. MTV Games announced this morning that a pack of Otis Redding tracks will be making their way to the game next week, tracks including:

• "(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay”
• "Love Man”
• and
• “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)”

It's an interesting mix to me, though in ways not surprising. The group at harmonix has always struck me as being true fans of music and creativity and while Mr. Redding's music was always more on the Blues-y side of R&B his music and way that he performed definitely influenced many artists across various musical genres that followed him. This is not the first track pack to come to Rock Band featuring either an artist or songs that were not and would never be classified as rock or metal [country music packs anyone?] but it is definitely one of the first steps to introduce a very new audience to a very non-mainstream artist. Adding to this selection of tracks, is Alphabeat's song "Fascination" and "Let Forever Be" by the Chemical Brothers. All tracks will be available on the 16th at the regular prices: $1.99 USD, £.99 UK, €1.49 EU [160 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360] per track, $8.49 USD, £4.39 UK, €6.55 EU [680 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360] for “Otis Redding Pack 01” and $2.00 USD [200 Wii Points™] per track. But this DLC pack really got me thinking. So much so that I ran through the internet to Wikipedia to get a current list of the DLC available to check something.

According to this list on Wikipedia, as of today there are nearly 875 tracks available as DLC for the Rock Band franchise [keep in mind not all tracks are compatible in the "Lego" flavor of the game] but as you read through the list it reads like a "Who's Who" guide to music appreciation. Bands and music that helped shape movements, generations that came before us [or are, in fact, us...I see you boomer gamers out there] to songs we identify through pop-culture references, there are all here. From Roy Orbison to Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Who to The Ramones, The Pretenders to Earth, Wind, and Fire, Black Sabbath to The Gorillaz, Talking Heads to Willie Nelson, even Queen to James Brown! Then add in the pop-culture elements of the moment [MC Frontalot, Johnathan Coulton, and the mighty Stephen Colbert] and the content list is staggering. As I started sifting and sorting through it a question crossed my mind, "Is the rhythm-based game genre replacing my MTV?"

There is no denying that there is little "music" programming going on at M(sic) TeleVision these days and that's fine by me. Networks grow, and change and as the flagship of the network MTV is not immune to this. Much of it's constant music video programming has moved over to MTV Hits, MTV Jams, MTV Soul, etc, leaving the flagship station free to explore programming blocks that can bring in advertising revenue. There is still however a need or craving for music content that can not be denied, on-demand video consumption on the web is growing exponentially [youtube, vim, hulu, iTunes sales and rental] we are an entertainment-on-demand nation and what better way to cater to that need on the music topic than through a delivery system that puts the control in your users hot little hand?

Not clear enough? Let me put it this way. In Rock Band, my set lists are my music channel of the moment. From my library of on disc content as well as DLC I've chosen over the life of my game I put together my favorite songs of the moment to either [fake] play along with or sing along with. One half hour I may be feeling nostalgic so it's Billy Idol, Duran Duran, and Talking Heads. The next time I am in a more playful mood, so it's on to Colbert, Spinal Tap, and FreezePop. I chose the content. I chose the interaction. I have become my own programming manager. When I have friends over for a party, my channel becomes our channel and now this transforms into a shared experience. Like it's broadcast siblings before it, specialty programming channels are here with more being developed. We have a Beatles channel, the Green Day channel is coming with rumors of a U2 channel or The Who station off in the not-so-distant future and my silly little question suddenly doesn't seem so silly but leads me to another question that I'll end with, "If the rhythm game genre is the evolution of music video television, what is the next progressive step for the genre itself?"

Hit me back or blow up twitter with your responses. Use the hashtag #evoOFrhythm so I know who to be on the lookout for.