Nier,or Nier Gestalt as it goes by these days, is one of those titles that I really feel could go either way. It could be a really compelling experience with a narrative that draws you in with some really deep action elements, or it could be a largely forgettable title with little to allow it to stand out among other similar entries in the genre. The design of the game is decidedly Square Enix and if we have learned anything from their protagonists, there will be a rich melencholy right below the surface of the gruff devil may care attitude. Will the style of the game be enough? Read More...

Today Electronic Arts announced another sequel to their immensely popular Skate series. Originally built as a competitor to Activision's Tony Hawk series, the Skate series won immediate recognition from critics and fans alike. Today's announcement says that co-op and team building will be of great importance in this newest title. This seemingly includes online and offline co-op, along with team challenges and battles that smell MMO-ish to me. Of course, the possibility of a persistent online skateboarding world is not half as frightening as how the time between releases is shrinking. Read More...

On Episode 41, the Aggrocast crew discuss Binh's adventures at PAX over the weekend. Talk about the many games he played, the people he met, and the partying. We also discuss the games we've been playing, including Aion, Mini Ninjas Demo, Guitar Hero 5 and more. A point of information for the fans: this episode was recorded on September 6th. We have also changed our recording schedule from Sundays to Tuesdays for a time so look for the next episode later this week! Don't forget you can add to the discussion in the comments below or send an email to Aggrocast@aggrogamer. Read More...

No doubt you have read the "shocking" details of Courtney Love's acrid Twitter response to Kurt Cobain's likeness being used in Guitar Hero 5. Then, you were enthralled by the report of shots fired back by Activision that Love, in fact, was the individual who signed the contract to use the likeness. And THEN you no doubt realized...you don't care. Read More...

As I was walking around the PAX show floor, I happen to nearly walk by this Gem of a game. This is a game that seemed to nearly go un-notice at PAX 2009. Major titles like Mass Effect 2, Left 4 Dead 2, Halo: ODST and more at PAX make this game to be an extremely hidden gem for many of us that tried it out. For a game that has yet to be picked up by any publisher, that didn’t stopped Klei Entertainment to showcase their game Shank. What do we know about this game? Read More...

Arriving a bit late to PAX 2009 in Seattle, Washington and finally entering the Washington State Convention Center. The first game that I went and found was not what you would think. No, it wasn’t to the Blizzard booth to play more World of Warcraft. Instead I headed to the NCSoft booth to play their new Massive Multi-play Online game, Aion. Making a character was easier than I thought it would be and the customization was a lot more detailed as well. After making my female warrior for the game and logging in, I found the cut scene for the game action packed and was very interesting to get into. Read More...

I'm a gadget guy. I love all gadgets and the range of things that they can do seems to be limitless. With 3G technology, soon to be 4G, and more and more mobile games becoming available, it seems that phones and gadgets are quickly becoming the next stage of portable gaming. Well heres the next step. Sony has announced their latest European phone The Aino back in May, but no one expected it to be ready so quickly. Sony says the new phone will be available in the UK in October. Read More...

Given the last teaser trailer for Fairytale Fights, I was already excited to swing an axe with Snow White and a chainsaw with Naked Emperor. Who wouldn't want to kill a bunch of creatures with the "sweet and innocent" characters from fairytale lore right? Well here is another go at getting one back into the mind set of doing this. A nice new trailer. If that trailer wasn't enough, Playlogic also throws in the fun announcement of 4 player online gameplay for console and PC. Read More...

Grunge and flannel: they go together like consoles&fanboys. Defining an entire decade of rock, grunge started the trend to move away from synth-pop, popular in the 80's, to a harder sound that emphasized the angst building in rebellion to 80's preppy style and trickle down economics. The earthier sounds and personalities of the grunge scene felt like you were watching a garage band down the street rather than the huge arenas and corporate heroes of pristine pop music and shiny glam-rock. Nirvana's release of Nevermind and the subsequent momentum shocked and appalled people as much as it enticed and enthralled. Their music was inspiring to a new generation of music listeners on a completely new medium, the Compact Disc. Read More...

Another contender, albeit an interesting one, in the area of game rental and availability - Redbox, more known for its kiosks which seem to be everywhere from Royal Farms to McDonald's, will now be offering games for the DS, Wii, Playstations 2&3, and Xbox 360 for a sum of $2 nightly. For most gamers, GameFly seems to be the go to source for gaming rentals along with the coveted Goozex for trading and trying out titles. This reminds me of several years ago when the war was between Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. Well, considering I never played a game from Hollywood Video that wasn't scratched, maybe it wasn't much of a war after all. Read More...

Last week on the Aggrocast, Michael, Brian, David and myself discussed whether or not Aion will be a bust or a success. Well today NCsoft has announced that the highly anticipated MMO has been released to be manufactured, also known as going Gold. Recently Aion has been gaining a lot of momentum in the in the European and North American online communities, and rightfully so with more than 3 million hours of gameplay logged in Aion closed beta alone.This year at GamesCom in Cologne, Germany, and at Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, Washington, Aion will be available to play hands-on with the 1.5 version of the game. Read More...

On Episode 38 of the Aggrocast, the crew is joined up by our Managing Editor, David Becker, known to many as Hades. Aggrogamer's very own lord of the Underworld expounds his thoughts on the current gaming trends, what he's been playing and offers a bargain bin to save your wallet. The crew also looks the current and future state of Massively Multiplayer Online Games with special consideration given towards the soon-to-be-released Aion by NCsoft. Add to the discussion in the comments below or send an email to Aggrocast@aggrogamer.com and get your email read on the air. Read More...

The original Way of the Samurai title was released on the Playstation 2 back in 2002. It was set in 19th Century Japan, where you would take on the role of a ronin who wanders into a remote village and becomes involved in a conflict between rival clans. One of the best features about this game was the branching storylines that offered some very solid replay value while at the same time offering enough in the way of varying weapons and side content to really constitute different gameplay experiences. Although the story in the first game follows one overall framing narrative, the actual events that the you would engage in really depend on the decisions you make. Some decisions, while seeming small, could affect who lived and died at the end of the story. Read More...

In the past I’ve talked about some of the things that are universally cool. Things like ninjas, kung fu billionaires, the zombie apocalypse. Now I come to another one of these staples and that is a heist. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a law-abiding citizen and I believe that people are innately good and only a very small percentage of human beings are legitimate criminals. However having said that, no matter how much I would never go along with it in real life, I have to admit that part of me would be excited to be a part of a crew that takes down scores. And with so many movies that has successfully portrayed this kind of thing, Heat, Ocean’s Eleven, Public Enemies, etc. Read More...

Snow White Vs Little Red Riding Hood Fairytale Fights Trailer Just when you thought your fairy tales were safe, and little more had been pumped out for the game, Playlogic starts the teasing. Teasing with a nice little showing of the two cute girls wandering about the fantasy lands. That is until Red breaks out the chainsaw and White gets wicked with an axe. Then it is kind of hard to see how Snow White stays as white as her name would imply. You know blood stains everything. Read More...