News

This is definitely the time of year when film critic types (I’m sure you know who I mean) spend an inordinate amount of time leading up to awards season—and it all leads up to awards season, don’t it?—compiling lists and trying to convince anyone who will listen that it was a shitty year at the movies for anyone who liked something other than what they saw and liked. And ‘tis the season, or at least ‘thas (?) been in the recent past, for that most beloved of academic parlor games, bemoaning the death of cinema, which, if the sackcloth-and-ashes-clad among us are to be believed, is an increasingly detached and irrelevant art form in the process of being smothered under the wet, steaming blanket of American blockbuster-it is. And it’s going all malnourished from the siphoning off of all the talent back to TV, which, as everyone knows,...

It’s that time of year again when we reflect on the past year at the movies and make arbitrary lists to accommodate readers with a snapshot of what movies to see or skip. It’s just for entertainment value; my opinions are subjective and not to be taken too seriously, but I’m not your keeper, do as you wish.

Having said that, below you will find the best movies I saw this year; with the exception of The Best Movie of the Year, the rest are in no particular.

Let me know what some of your favorite movies of this past year on Twitter or Facebook.

Mad Max: Fury Road

The best movie of the year was Mad Max: Fury Road. I went in with high expectations and they were quickly set on fire by a flamethrower guitar. Every single moment on screen is a mind-blowing revelation in filmmaking.

Veteran character actor Robert Loggia has died at his home in Los Angeles today at the age of 85. Loggia had been battling Alzheimer's Disease for five years and leaves behind his widow Audrey with whom he had been married for over three decades, three children, and a stepchild.

Starring in his first films back in the late 1950s, worked right up until this year with his last role being in the Canadian horror drama "Sicilian Vampire". Along the way he scored peer recognition including an Oscar nominated turn in the 1986 courtroom thriller "Jagged Edge" alongside Glenn Close and Jeff Bridges, and an Emmy nominated role as the lead in the detective drama series "Mancuso, F.B.I.".

His resume includes key roles in some major movies that ran the gamut in terms of critical and public appeal. Amongst the more notable titles are the likes of "Big," "Scarface, "Independence Day,...

Glance at this summer’s movie lineup, and you’ll notice something strange. Women are getting guns. And guitars. And emotional inner lives. And the ability to have sex, no strings attached. During the all-important, typically testosterone-soaked summer movie season, women are represented onscreen in roles besides Unidentified Love Interest No. 2. Let’s rattle off the movies: Hot Pursuit, Pitch Perfect 2, Tomorrowland, Aloha, Spy, Inside Out, The Bronze, Trainwreck, Paper Towns, Ricki and the Flash. Comedies, dramas, action movies, all of them led by women. Some were even written by them. Compared to last summer, this is a nice spread; compared to 2013, it’s a feast. The best part is that many actually look intriguing, a statement exactly zero people said about last year’s Sex Tape. Between them, they illustrate more than one facet of the female experience, from a middle-school girl’s insecurity (Pixar’s Inside Out...

Welcome to the latest installment of the Nerdly poster round-up, where we bring you up to speed on some of the best (and worst) movie posters to have hit the interwebs in recent weeks. Including posters for Straight Outta Compton, Spooks: Greater Good, Mad Max: Fury Road, Spy, Insidious 3, Transporter Refueled, Fantastic Four and more..!

Straight Outta Compton

Spooks: Greater Good

Mad Max: Fury Road

Spy

Insidious: Chapter 3

Poltergeist

Masterminds

D Train

Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2

Hotel Transylvania 2

The Transporter: Refueled

Hot Pursuit

Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation

Fantastic Four...

The box office giveth and the box office taketh away, but this weekend was bountiful for four different movies. DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox's "Home" took the top spot with $54 million.  That's the biggest debut for Dwa since "Madagascar 3: Europe Most Want" in 2012 and the first real smash opening for the company since Fox became their distribution and marketing partner. This is a huge win for DreamWorks since "Home" is their only major release in 2015.  The family film also earned an A Cinemascore rating which means it should have good word of mouth with family audiences over the coming weeks.  Globally, the $135 million budgeted flick has earned $101.5 million so far. It's one of Kevin Hart and Will Ferrell's worst reviewed films of their careers, but audiences didn't seem to care as "Get Hard" took the second spot with $34.6 million.  The Warner Bros. release is actually Ferrell's biggest...

Earlier today, Media Asia Films announced they are planning a new thriller, Manhunt, which will be helmed by legendary Hong Kong director John Woo. The film is a remake of the 1976 Japanese film by Satô Jun'ya of the same name, which starred the great Takakura Ken. Based on the novel Hot Pursuit by Nishimura Juko, the original told the story of a prosecutor who was framed for robbery and rape, and who set out on a one-man mission to unravel the truth and get his name cleared. The Japanese Manhunt is a famous film in China, because back then it was the first foreign film allowed to be shown after the Cultural Revolution, and it became a big hit. In the announcement today,...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

What will February bring to Netflix? "House of Cards" returns for its much awaited third season, but not until Feb. 27. If you can't wait for your Kevin Spacey fix until then, "Now: In the Wings on a World Stage" (2014), a documentary of Spacey starring in a production of Shakespeare's "Richard III," is available on Feb. 1.

And the 2004 "King Arthur," starring Clive Owen and Keira Knightley, isn't exactly Shakespearean, but look at how many great actors -- like Mads Mikkelsen, Ioan Gruffudd, Hugh Dancy and Joel Edgerton -- have gone on to much bigger things.

You can also stream "Joe," one of Nicolas Cage's best films in recent years; the overlooked indie "The Brothers Bloom" with Mark Ruffalo, Adrien Brody and Rachel Weisz; and the barely-in-theaters thriller "The Two Faces of January," starring Viggo Mortensen and Kirsten Dunst.

Here's a much larger rundown of what's new on Netflix in February 2015, provided by Netflix.

February is nearly upon us and with it brings some exciting additions to Netflix's streaming lineup. Among the movies and TV shows set to stream on Netflix in February are RoboCop, Scary Movie 5 and Spartacus.. EW posted the list of movies and TV shows joining Netflix's streaming lineup over the course of February. Check it out below... February 1 Bleach the Movie: Hell Verse Dark Ride Departures (Season 12) Gimme Shelter Gucci: The Director Hot Pursuit Houseboat Into the Blue 2: The Reef Joe King Arthur Magic City (Seasons 1-2) M*A*S*H (Seasons 1-5) Naruto Shippuden: The Movie Now: In the Wings on a World Stage Proof Spartacus (Complete series) The Brothers Bloom We Could Be Kings We.re No Angels Zapped February 5-12 The Little Rascals Save the Day (February 5) Danger 5 (February 6) Ever After High: Spring Unsprung (February 6) Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead (February 7) Elsa & Fred...

Netflix has just released their lists of what films and TV shows we will see added in February…and what films and TV shows will vanish.

First, the good news: quite a few classic and popular TV shows are making the grade on the streaming service, including the first five seasons of Mash, Hawaii 5-0, and the new season of House of Cards. New additions to the film list include RoboCop, The Brothers Bloom, and Gimme Shelter. While there’s not a lot of quality stuff on offer, there are at least a few new films and TV shows that we can enjoy on the Netflix streaming service.

Now for the bad news: quite a number of favorites are going to vanish from Netflix come February 1. Among these are several James Bond films, Zodiac, Jane Eyre, and Dredd. The TV shows fare even worse, with tons of BBC shows expiring,...

At the beginning of (and throughout) every month, Netflix Streaming adds new movies and TV shows to its library. Here is a quick list of several that you might be interested in. Some of these may have previously been on Netflix, only to have been removed and then added back. We will update this list as more titles are added closer to the end of the month.Movies February 1Bleach the Movie: Hell Verse (2011) Dark Ride (2006) Gimme Shelter (2013) Gucci: The Director (2013) Hot Pursuit (1987) Houseboat (1958) Into the Blue 2: The Reef (2009) Joe (2013) King Arthur (2004) Naruto Shippuden: The Movie (2007) Now: In the Wings on a World Stage (2014) Proof (2005)The Brothers Bloom (2008) We Could Be King (2014) We’re No Angels (1989) Zapped (2014) February 5The Little Rascals Save the Day (2014) February 6Ever After High: Spring Unsprung (2015) February 7Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead...

You won’t need us to tell you that this Thursday, November 27th is Thanksgiving across the States, which means one thing: an abundance of food and celebration. Well, it also means another scenario — that’s right, Black Friday. And so, to commemorate the occasion, Microsoft has unveiled the extensive line-up of games that are due to receive a discount as part of the company’s Deals with Gold promotion.

As is always the case, Xbox players will need to have an Xbox Live subscription in order to gain access to the offers, which will run through until December 1st. Discounting an array of software across both Xbox One and Xbox 360, Microsoft has pulled no punches this year, with some games being available for a full 80% cheaper than their standard price.

We’ve included the comprehensive list for each platform below for you to check out. But before you dive in,...

There were nearly as many smoke/fire/burning metaphors in this week’s (almost) all Daryl and Carol episode of The Walking Dead as there are matches in a matchbook. But, as the dynamic duo searched for Beth, were either of them, as the title suggests, “Consumed” by the flames? Read on and find out!

In Hot Pursuit | At the top of the hour, we flashed back to the day that Rick banished Carol, and saw her follow a trail of smoke (just the first of ’em) to the prison following the Governor’s disastrous siege. In present day, as...

When he's not raising his heir or attending public engagements, Prince William may be jamming to Ghost Stories. The royal revealed he's a big fan of Coldplay while speaking to school children Wednesday - though he declined to play drums with their samba band. "I used to play the piano, trumpet and drums when I was your age but I couldn't read music. There's only so much you can remember from the top of your head," he told one drummer at Goole High School in East Yorkshire, where he spent more than an hour chatting with students as he launched...

We’re back with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes a new clip from Preservation, release details for Lfo, App, the first photo from Altergeist, an interview with Felissa Rose, and much more:

First Clip from Preservation: “Actor Christopher Denham takes his second turn in the director’s chair with this finely crafted horror-thriller starring Pablo Schreiber (The Wire, Orange is the New Black), Aaron Staton (Mad Men), and Wrenn Schmidt (Boardwalk Empire). Brothers Sean and Mike Neary, along with Mike’s wife Wit, head out on a hunting trip that doubles as a distraction from their troubles at home. But ignoring the “closed” sign and heading deep into an overgrown nature preserve, they soon find their troubles are only beginning. When all of their gear is stolen, they immediately turn on each other. But the hunted...

Following the delay of Evolution Studio’s Driveclub, Sony has jettisoned EA’s Need For Speed: Rivals onto the proverbial starting grid for the PlayStation 4 when it launches next week in North America. The high-octane racing sim, which was previously slated to release worldwide on November 22nd, will now appear first on Sony’s new hardware ahead of other platforms.

Taking to PlayStation Blog, here’s what EA’s community manager, Jessica Damerst, had to say about the rescheduling:

“We’re stoked to be the first racing game on PS4, and believe we’re setting a new bar for driving gameplay and visuals. PS4, coupled with the Frostbite 3 engine, will give players unparalleled next-gen gaming — epic locations and vistas, stunning time of day and weather changes, and super high fidelity cars.”

Damerst went on to explain how Need For Speed: Rivals plans to utilise the console’s new social features,...

by Matt Hawkins

Do you know the name John Farley? Probably not, but you may be aware what he's known for: he's that guy who sued Subway because their footlong subs are actually only eleven inches. Anyhow, what is he up to these days? Why, suing GameStop of course.

So, what he's beef with them? According to Kotaku, Farley, who hails from Marlton, New Jersey, is part of a suit that includes two other plaintiffs and they are all targeting GameStop. Because money that should have been theoretically saved when purchasing used copies of games were instead reallocated on online passes and other forms of Dlc.

According to the lawsuit, it all stems from when Farley picked up a used copy of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit in 2011: "When Farley attempted to play his game online with other players, he discovered he could not do so and was forced...

I love car games, and the Need for Speed franchise has always been extremely fun to play. Out of all the racecar games I've played this year at E3, including Forza 5, Gran Turismo 6, and The Crew - Need For Speed: Rivals was the most fun. I always make an effort to play the car games, because I'm really good at them. One of the reasons I liked it so much is because it's the one game where you can actually feel the speed. You get the sense of going really fast. When playing the other games I don't feel like I'm going fast enough. 

Rivals could be the best game in the franchise, combining Most Wanted's open world freedom, Hot Pursuit's exciting cops and robbers police chases in which you can play as both sides of the law, and of course, Underground's detailed customization. This is a game I'm really excited to own.

 

You have to hand it to Peter Moore, he has a sense of humor. Before the event began he walked out on stage and basically said to us, wait at least 30 minutes after the show before you write about how disappointed you are. EA knows it isn't seen in the best light, but I think they are actively trying to get in gamers' good graces. 

Shall we begin?

Plants Vs Zombies: Garden Warfare- A third person shooter by Pop Cap? Cray Cray! But that's exactly what it is, and it looks awesome!

Need for Speed Rivals- A combination of Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit. That's how I would best describe this game. The new and improved Hud looks really good. The feature they showcased was incredible. To go from a single player game to a multiplayer race seamlessly was astonishing to see in real time.

NBA Live 14- The man...

Need For Speed: Rivals

Description: Need for Speed Rivals will feature similar gameplay to 2010′s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit title in the Need for Speed franchise with exotic cars and high-speed police chases. Players take on the role of a racer or a cop, with each side of the law offering its own set of challenges, risks and rewards. Rivals will feature eleven upgradeable gadgets such as EMPs, shockwaves and the ability to call in roadblocks

Developer: Ghost Games

Publisher: EA

Release Date: November 19th, 2013

Thanks for reading We Got This Covered...

For the sheer sense of speed, scale, danger, and ambition, I'll hold up Criterion Games' "Burnout Paradise" as the greatest racer of this console generation. With multiple "Burnout" titles under their belts across previous generation consoles and handhelds, Criterion sought to create a seamless, open world racing experience that, though it wasn't without its faults, packed its fictional city to the brim with ramps to jump, racers to challenge, and vehicles to destroy.

Since taking the reins of the "Need For Speed" franchise, they've since folded many of the elements of "Burnout" into EA's street racing games, starting with last year's "Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit." Now they're tacking another named branch of the line, "Most Wanted," by giving it a little bit of that "Burnout Paradise" feeling, setting "Most Wanted" in a new, open city. And for the most part, it feels like a return to form with stellar...

Fans of the racing genre certainly know all about Criterion Games. After all, the developer is responsible for designing such mega hits as the Burnout franchise and Electronic Arts’ Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit revamp. Needless to say, there’s a lot of talent to be found within its ranks, which is why gamers have come to expect the best from those who represent the brand. As a result, it’s no surprise that Need For Speed: Most Wanted, the studio’s second crack at rebooting popular entries in the long-running series, has released to a lot of buzz.

Released on previous generation hardware, as well as the Xbox 360, the first Need For Speed: Most Wanted title was a major hit. To many, it’s one of the series’ best, if not its absolute best, meaning that its popularity certainly hasn’t lessened over the years. That’s something which...

In an interview with The Guardian, Criterion's Creative Director Craig Sullivan says the studio isn't done with their crash-heavy series yet.

The relevant quote, which you can read in full below, shows that Criterion hasn't forgotten about Burnout--but being the shepherds of Need For Speed: Most Wanted and Hot Pursuit for EA seems to be occupying most of there time.

Here's what Sullivan said:

"There's still a lot of stuff we want to do with driving," he says. " We will make another Burnout game at some point. Obviously, as we're working on Nfs we're thinking of really good ideas that aren't right for this series; there are ideas that we're going to explore with Burnout. And we wouldn't be making Nfs or Burnout games if we didn't think the driving genre had a long shelf life and that we could push the boundaries. There's a lot of new stuff in Most Wanted,...

Chicago – Racing games typically come in two flavors: Simulation and Arcade. On the Arcade side you have the excellent “Burnout Paradise,” “Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit,” “Blur,” and about a dozen more games that focus on the speed and excitement of driving a car as fast as possible, and don’t really bother too much with things like braking systems, cornering, or legality. Many open world games also subscribe to this model for their driving. On the simulation side, you got games like “Forza Motorsport,” “Project Gotham Racing”, and the “Gran Turismo” series.

Video Game Rating: 3.5/5.0

As someone who’s happily owned *both* “Burnout Paradise” and “Forza Motorsport 4,” I can say with some authority that hands down “Burnout Paradise” is the more fun game. On the flip side, “Forza Motorsport” is a far more robust offering, and ultimately proves more rewarding in the long run because it challenges you in ways “Burnout Paradise” does not.

There's nothing better than a good holiday sale and EA Mobile is delivering with their freshly launched 4th of July Sale Spectacular. Like most sales seen on the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, EA Mobile is offering up big name titles for as little as $.99. Some you'll even be able to grab for free, though it looks like Android users have been left out once again.

Obvious inclusions are the board game set – Yahtzee, Scrabble Monopoly, etc. – but fans of EA's massive mobile library will also be happy to learn that mobile games like The Sims 3, Battlefield: Bad Company, Dead Space and even Sim City Deluxe are also available on the cheap through July 9th.

Below you'll find the full list of games on sale, divided by platform.

iPhone/iPad (one app for both platforms)

Mass Effect Infiltrator Burnout Crash Flight Control Rocket Theme Park Monopoly Hotels The Sims FreePlay...

Criterion's Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit was a success, not simply because it was a good racing game, but because with one game, the developer behind the Burnout series redeemed what had become kind of lackluster in Need For Speed.

EA seemed to think so too, particularly in light of the vast gulf in quality (and commercial response) to Hot Pursuit and last year's not-so-great The Run (developed by EA's Black Box studio). Instead of their previous practice of alternating development chores between studios, EA has placed the franchise solely in Criterion's very capable hands.

Right now, Criterion's working on getting Most Wanted out the door, but according to the studio's Vice President Alex Ward, there could be a future where all of the Need For Speed games are interconnected or combined into one big game. Perhaps Ward is talking about something similar to how they handled Burnout Paradise, kind...

The announcement that Criterion Games would be donning the driving gloves for EA‘s Need for Speed: Most Wanted was unsurprising but reassuring. The team are experienced, and have some of the finest driving games already lining their trophy cabinet. Now it has been revealed that their relationship with the series has become far more involved than developing the occasional game, they are now the driving force behind the entire franchise.

Speaking with Game Informer at E3, the studio’s vice president Alex Ward stated that:

“Our stamp’s going to be in everything you see in Need for Speed and Burnout going forward in the future. It’s not going to be spread anymore across different companies. Different studios have had a crack at it – it’s definitely a Criterion gig now.”

“Going forward now, with Most Wanted and what we’ll do in the future [will have], shall we say,...

As soon as Criterion Games were associated with the upcoming Need for Speed: Most Wanted, the popular Autolog system from their previous game in the franchise, 2010′s Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, was rumoured to be making a welcomed return. Autolog 2.0 was then promptly confirmed at E3, and now EA have released the first details of how this stat-tracking social network will operate.

According to the official Need for Speed website Autolog has been expanded, and access to it is no longer confined to just in-game or through a smartphone application:

“This time, you can experience the whole thing right here on needforspeed.com. You’ll be able to check your Autolog Feed, browse Recommendations, comment, share pictures and tag events ready for when you next play the game.”

Sounding somewhat similar to Battlefield 3‘s rather polarising Battlelog system, this new website based stat-tracking comes with some interesting additions to the original,...

Dead Space 3 gets bro-op, Ufc comes to EA, and Criterion is back with Need for Speed: Most Wanted.

Isaac Clarke returns in Dead Space 3 from Visceral Studios. This time he's back and as verbose as he was in Dead Space 2. Visceral demoed the game onstage and touted the sequel's drop-in, drop-out co-op as Clarke and new character Sgt. John Carver face the necromorph threat again. The new entry promises more lanky, grotesque masses of body horror to bedevil our heroes, along with derelict facilities. There's more of a run-n-gun cover-based shooter feel to this one with gun-toting human combatants coming at Clarke and Carver hard. Honestly, I'm bummed that Visceral seems to be moving the series away (either incrementally or altogether) from the slow-paced survival horror of the first entry.

Dead Space 3 is on the way in February of 2013.

Madden 13 will have more bits, animation. The annual football series gets...

They are at it again. South African retailer BT games have only gone and put up another listing for an as yet announced EA game. This morning we reported the retailer jumped the gun by offering Pre Orders for Dead Space 3. Now they are having another got by listing Need for Speed: Most Wanted 2

If this listing turns out to be real, it can only be a good thing. We all want a sequel to arguably the best game in the Need for Speed Series, first released all the way back in 2005. Could this be the open world game Criterion are rumoured to be working on? Yes, that is the same people who bought you the Burn Out games and more recently, the not so shabby Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit.

Update: The listing has since been altered and now simply says “latest Release in the Need for Speed Franchise...

We’ve got some minor updates on one car racing franchise to own them all and another trying to sneak into the race today. First up, Variety is reporting that videogame studio Electronic Arts is looking to make a feature film out of their racing game Need for Speed. They’ve hired John Gatins, behind last year’s Real Steel and Robert Zemeckis‘ upcoming Denzel Washington drama Flight, to begin work on a pitch.

Currently Warner Bros., Sony and Paramount are vying for the property, which I remember loving to play as a kid. If I recall, the big draw for me compared to other videogames, was the inclusion of cops on your tail in the Hot Pursuit series of the games. One would have to expect this element to be included in some sort of capacity for the feature. It’s been awhile since I’ve picked up the controller but the latest iteration,...

Samsung has announced the new Android-powered Galaxy S WiFi 4.2, a small-screen tablet aimed at video gaming enthusiasts. Unveiled at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the Galaxy S WiFi 4.2 runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread and has a 4.2-inch screen. It is powered by a 1GHz process and has a 2Mp camera on the rear. Samsung says that the product is designed for "powerful gaming on the go", backed up by a SoundAlive audio system and a gyroscope sensor for an intuitive gaming experience.

The product is compatible with Samsung's Game Hub application, and also comes pre-loaded with games from Electronic Arts including FIFA 2012 and Need for Speed Hot Pursuit. Samsung has not indicated availability or pricing as yet for the Samsung Galaxy S WiFi 4.2. > Samsung announces (more)...

The European retailer Game may have just outed two big titles that will be released this year. Game let slip some information from a confidential EA conference call that mentions details of the new Medal of Honor game and Need for Speed sequel. In addition, it sounds like both games may be released this year according to the tweet.

Here is the exact Game tweet:

“EA presentation was great, Had mentions of a new Medal of Honour [sic] and Need for Speed 13! EA have an exciting year ahead.”

The tweet was quickly deleted afterwards and there has been no formal announcement from EA since the tweet was released and removed. This is just a rumor as of right now, but both games are expected to be in development, just not announced. I have actually been predicting Medal of Honor 2 this year because it is pretty obvious EA wants to be like...

Microsoft has announced that the 2012 Xbox Live House Party will begin on February 15. Alan Wake's American Nightmare will arrive first, bringing the next chapter in the Alan Wake saga to Xbox 360 owners. It will be followed by Ubisoft's long-awaited survival game I Am Alive, Thq's first-person shooter Nexiuz and EA's action-puzzle game Warp. During February, Microsoft will also begin the Must Have Games promotion for Windows Phone, including Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, (more)...

EA has announced a sale on Xbox Live. The offers feature a range of Xbox Live Arcade games and downloadable content discounted up to half price. Highlights include 50% off Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit cars, Dead Space 2 expansion 'Severed' and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 add-on 'Vietnam'. Elsewhere, games Shank, Risk Factions, Monopoly Streets and Zuma have been given discounts. The EA sale will end on Monday, January 9. > Army of Four in the works at EA?

> Battlefield 4 confirmed by EA The discounts in full: Dragon Age: Origins 25% off

Dragon Age: Origins - Witch Hunt 57% off

Dragon Age 2 - Legacy 50% off

Mass Effect 2 - Arrival 50% off

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 25% off

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Vietnam 50% off

Burnout Crash (more)...

Over the past year we have been inundated with everything Need for Speed: The Run. From trailers directed by Michael Bay to press releases about branded trainers and Sports Illustrated models and with other developers such as Polyphony Digital (Gran Turismo) and Turn 10 Studios (Forza) releasing some of the most notable and popular racing games in the world, EA Black Box was undoubtedly attempting to stand out and provide something new and unique. While we were initially excited about the brand new concept and new ideas being flung at us, did the game truly live up to the hype?

For the first time, the annual EA racing series has brought something different to the table – a solid concept. The game focuses on main character Jackson “Jack” Rourke who is on the run from mobsters for reasons that aren’t 100% detailed or explained to you. In an attempt to pay his way out of his debt,...

Battlefield 3's 'Back to Karkand' map pack headlines this week's Us PlayStation Network update. The map pack features new weapons and vehicles, the return of Conquest Assault, and four classic maps from Battlefield 2 - Strike at Karkand, Wake Island, Gulf of Oman and Sharqi Peninsula. Download it for $$14.99. Also available this week are Wanted Corp, Dragon Age II, Need For Speed Hot Pursuit, Final Fantasy VI, the Resistance 3 Brutality Pack and a demo for GoldenEye 007: Reloaded. > Read last week's PlayStation Network update The update in full: Full Games (PS3)

Wanted Corp ($$9.99)

Dragon Age II ($$29.99)

Need For Speed Hot Pursuit ($$29.99)

Full Games (PSP)

Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7 ($$49.99)

PSOne Classics (PS3/PSP)

Final Fantasy VI ($$9.99)

Game Demos (PS3)

GoldenEye (more)...

From MTV Geek:

Oh, you guys... guys. I would pay good money for a polished, cross-country racing game based on the classic* Cannonball Run. For the time being, it looks like the closest we'll get is the Blackbox-developed Need For Speed: The Run, coming to consoles in November.

This is one of those years where EA publishes a Nfs where you spend time outside the car doing stuff and typically--i'm gonna be honest here--that's never really the best part. This time around, you're in the shoes of Jack, a guy who has to race cross-country from San Francisco to New York with a $25 million prize on the line. Apparently, this will add in some elements of Hot Pursuit, with your character not only tangling with other racers, but cops and crooks who want to take you out before the finish line.

Continue reading at MTV Geek!

Related Posts:

Video: Five...

Need For Speed: The Run is the latest entry in EA's schizophrenic racing series. Developed by the returning EA Black Box - whose last console release was the disappointing Need For Speed: Undercover - The Run is the second Need For Speed title to be released this year, following semi-racing sim Shift 2: Unleashed. Of course, it's more of a follow-up to last year's arcade racer Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit than anything else. Confused? Put simply, Need For Speed: The Run is another adrenaline-fuelled arcade racer set on the streets instead of the circuits. Perhaps most interestingly, however, is the fact that it takes the form of a cross-country journey from San Francisco to New York, as well as offering several on-foot chases against the police, which guarantees environmental and gameplay variety at the very least. We got (more)...

Classic 8-bit graphics clash with modern 3D era gameplay when 3D Pixel Racing becomes available on WiiWare this week. Challenge up to four friends in the numerous crazy race modes in the first 3D Pixel retro-cool racing game in the world.

On Nintendo DSiWare this week, Anonymous Notes Chapter 1 – From The Abyss – an action packed RPG which takes place in an ever extending dungeon becomes available to download from the Nintendo eShop and Nintendo DSi Shop. Defeat the monsters crawling about the various dungeons and face the terrifying boss monster lurking in the darkest depths.

Check out the latest offerings below which are also available for download this week via Nintendo eShop, Nintendo DSi Shop and the Wii Shop Channel.

Anonymous Notes Chapter 1 – From The Abyss | DSiWare | Nintendo 3Ds/DSi

This full-on action RPG is packed with exhilaration and takes place inside an infinitely-extending dungeon. Do away with the monsters crawling about the various dungeons,...

The nominations have been announced for the 2011 Golden Joystick awards. L.A. Noire, Portal 2 and Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood are among the 'Ultimate Game Of The Year' candidates, while Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3 and Battlefield 3 find themselves in the 'One To Watch' category. Rockstar's L.A. Noire is also a contender in the 'Best Action/Adventure' field, as is LittleBigPlanet 2 and Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The racing category features BAFTA award-winning title F1 2010, and also contains Gran Turismo 5 and Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit. Meanwhile, Minecraft and Limbo are among the stand-out downloadable games, while Fruit Ninja, Cut The Rope and Angry Birds Rio find themselves in the brand new mobile games (more)...

Inspired by something I said in my review of Driver San Francisco, I thought I’d take a look back through video game history – all the way back to the days of the Atari 2600 – to bring you my Top 10 favourite driving games of all time. From Pole Position to the aforementioned latest entry in the Driver franchise – if it’s not on this list then I’m not playing it!

Oh, and by the way, these are in release date order, Not in order of preference…

Pole Position (Atari 2600)

Released in 1982, Pole Position was published by Namco in Japan and by Atari, Inc. in the United States. The game popularized the use of sprite-based, pseudo-3D graphics with its “rear-view racer format”—where the player’s view is behind and above the vehicle, looking forward along the road with the horizon in sight—which would remain in use even after...

Depending on who you believe, time’s are either hard, or looking-up for the British gaming industry – while not too many of the biggest award winners at our own British Academy Video Games Awards actually came from our own fair Isles, aside from F1 2010, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit, Kinect Sports and Peter Molyneux. But really none of those awards really meant that much in the upper echelons of the gaming industry – the big shakers last year, and indeed this year are the sprawling Fps releases, fighting among themselves for the biggest sales purse come the end of the year.

And in amongst them, there will be will little British influence at all.

For the third largest games industry in the world to have such a small representation of the biggest selling games developed or published within its shores is a travesty, that is only compounded by the fact that...

Summer of Arcade continues with From Dust (Ubisoft Montpellier/Ubisoft), the second release in Xbox Live Arcade’s hot summer series. Launching 27th July, From Dust is the latest original concept by Eric Chahi, visionary creator of Another World. In this game, you’ll behold the beauty of a primitive world pulsing with life and face the might of nature. August 3rd will see the launch of Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet (Fuelcell/Microsoft Studios) where players explore the depths of several interconnected themed areas, fighting swarms of enemies, battling bosses, solving mind-bending puzzles and acquiring power-ups to unlock new parts of the map. A great fusion of art and classical animation in this adventure created by artist Michel Gagne and game industry veteran Joe Olson.

Here’s the current release schedule for Xbox Live Marketplace content, including new Xbla releases, the latest movies via Zune and week of releases, up to to August 4th.

From Dust headlines this week's Xbox Live update. Microsoft's Summer of Arcade continues with the simulation game from famed Another World creator Eric Chahi. Guide tribesmen across dangerous lands filled with volcanoes, tsunamis, flash floods and forest fires. Download it for 1200 Ms points (£10.20 / $$15). Also available for download this week are Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, Shaun White Skateboarding, Ashes Cricket (UK only) and Prison Break (Us only) for Games on Demand. > Read last week's Xbox Live update

> Read our review of From Dust The update in full: Games From Dust (1200 Ms points / £10.20 / $$15) Games On Demand Need for Speed Hot Pursuit (£29.99 / $$39.99)

Shaun White Skateboarding (£19.99 / $$29.99)

Prison Break (£14.99 / $$19.99)

Ashes Cricket (UK only) (£17.99) (more)...

More than three years without a true "Burnout" game? That's a crime! Sure, Criterion brought their car-crashing know-how to "Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit," my favorite in the series so far, but it's not the same as "Burnout," where crashing is the primary objective and racing takes a back seat. We still don't know when we'll be getting a full sequel to "Burnout Paradise," but there is a downloadable game in the works: "Burnout Crash."

As you can see in the above screenshot, "Burnout Crash" plays from a top-down perspective, akin to the angle of the old "GTA" games. Rather than focus on racing modes, "Crash" is limited just to Crash Mode. The objective, make the most destructive car pile-up imaginable within a short span of time. It's actually the mode that was disappointingly absent for "Paradise," so it's nice that Criterion hasn't forgotten about it.

Despite the different camera angle,...

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit headlines this week's UK PlayStation Network update. Released at retail last November, the critically-acclaimed racing title can be downloaded in full for £23.99. Other PlayStation 3 highlights include American McGee's Alice for £7.99 and a free Sonic Generations demo from tomorrow. For PSP, Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars can be purchased for £23.99. > Read last week's PlayStation Network update The update in full: Full Games (PS3)

Akimi Village (£7.99/€9.99) Rating: Pegi 3

Availability: All locales

Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit (£23.99/€29.99) Rating: Pegi 7

Availability: All locales

Sonic the Hedgehog 20th Anniversary Bundle (£13.99/€17.99) Available from 23rd June Rating: Pegi 3

Availability: All locales

American McGee's Alice. (£7.99/€9.99)

(more)...

Right now, Kinect remains an unproven entity. Most people don't have the space to use it, and those that do generally find that there aren't enough games to justify the purchase. Microsoft clearly wants to turn the tide, as they dedicated the vast majority of their E3 press conference to showing the future of motion gaming. Despite that, they managed to skip my favorite Kinect game on the show floor: "Fruit Ninja Kinect."

Yes, I can feel your eyes rolling all the way through the internet, but stick with me. "Fruit Ninja Kinect" is an Xbla title based on the mobile gaming hit, "Fruit Ninja." The modes, features and graphics are largely the same (albeit with an HD gloss). You're still tasked with slicing as much fruit as you can in a limited time. And although Halfbrick hasn't announced the price yet, it'll likely be ten times as expensive as the dollar-priced app on iOS.

Electronic Arts held their press conference this afternoon, following the Microsoft press event. A few titles were on display, both previously announced and unannounced, but "Battlefield 3" clearly stole the show. The gameplay demo featured a nice display of the upcoming shooter's tank combat, and I have to say, October can't get here soon enough.

Here's a quick rundown of all the games on display during the EA press conference today.

"Battlefield 3"

Some of the tank gameplay was on-rails, wherein you're playing as a gunner, taking out other enemy tanks and assorted enemies. The desert visuals were incredible, and at times, it almost seemed like I was watching a YouTube war video – minus the heads-up display, natch – instead of a video game. The demo also showed some gameplay where you'll actually take over the tank and drive.

Lastly, the developers showed off a brief – albeit frenetic – video illustrating a skirmish on the streets of Paris.

Need For Speed: The Run's gameplay elements have been revealed at E3. The racer will support score-tracking system Autolog as part of its career mode, as players race their way across the Us to New York. Need For Speed: The Run will also feature out-of-car action sequences that make use of Battlefield 3's FrostBite 2 engine. The in-game demo shown during EA's press briefing at E3 saw players having to tap buttons in order to escape wreckages, jump across rooftops and disarm cops. Recent Need for Speed titles include last November's Hot Pursuit (more)...