With the announcement on Bungies web site that Bungie will not be showing their new game along side Activision at E3 2011 Bungie is denying reports that they will be attending this years E3 at all.

Be sure to check back here on www.theflowshow.com between June 7-9, 2011 to get the latest and up to date news for E3 2011!!

On Behalf of the 70+ million PSN users the Rothken law firm is filing a class action lawsuit against Sony. The lawsuit states that Sony failed to maintain a proper firewall and security system. Also a failure to properly encrypt its users information. Wow.. Just wow.. You heard it here first.. Sony is FUCKED!! It doesn’t end there either the suit also states that Sony had unauthorized storage and retention of data, and the most important one is the violation of Payment Card Industry Data Standard(s) and rules and regulations. In other words Sony is FUCKED!!!

If you have a PSN account and you want to be apart of this epic class action lawsuit go HERE

Official copy of the complaint.

Nintendo has confirmed that the Wiiii will make its first public appearance at E3 2011. TheFlowShow.com will be on hand to Demo a playable model of the new system and announce more specifications. This years E3 Expo will be held June 7-9, 2011, So be sure to keep it locked to http://www.theflowshow.com for all of the latest news!!

Rumored Specs:
1080p compatibility, custom-built tri-core IBM PowerPC chipset (Same setup on Microsoft’s Xbox 360), AMD GPU. The GPU should be able to give you 512 megabytes of memory.

Release date:
Spring 2012

Price:
$350 to $400

Mortal Konbat is BACK! With all of the crappy mk games that came out between Ultimate Mortal Kombat (UMK3) 3 and MK9 I was very skeptible that MK9 would actually be a good game. Right of the bat I was really impressed with the level and character design. MK9 is a very dark and vilent game witch is the exact same reason why I loved it as a kid. After playing it for about a week now I can honestly say that MK9 is one of the best MK games ever made. The combo system is very easy to understand, the game Looks and plays superbly!, Fatality’s are over the top!

My only complaint is the terrible online play. LAG LAG LAG… Online VS modes are virtually unplayable. One more minor grip I have about the game is about the MK9 arcade stick. It comes out in JULY.. Why would they wait 3 whole months to release it… Super bad move if you ask me.. So with all that said I would give MK9 a solid 4 out of 5! Go pick it up!!

Mortal Kombat 9 Fatalities
Finish Him!

Mortal Kombat 9 GamePlay
Game play

Mortal Kombat 9 Online Match
Online Match

Have you always wanted to join the UFC Gym but could not afford it? Have you always wanted to experience real UFC workouts?

Well if you answered YES to 1 of these questions than this is your year because THQ is going to come out with a motion-controlled fitness game titled UFC Personal Trainer.

Yeah! My virtual personal trainer can beat up your virtual personal trainer!!

This exercise game will be available on Wii, Xbox Kinect, and PS3 Move.

If you don’t have the money to join the actual UFC gym this fitness game should be a good subsitution with routines designed by the National Academy of Sports Medicine and with help from MMA trainers Greg Jackson, Mark DellaGrotte, and Javier Mendez. You can train hard in the privacy of your own living room with whichever game console you choose but if you get the Kinect version you will have some added features and several exclusives like:

1) Having your form and techniques assessed through the full body tracking system, 2) the use of voice commands, 3) 9 exercise routines, 4) branded, in-game equipment and last but definitely not least, 5) having Frank Mir, Kenny Florian, Dan Hardy and Diego Sanchez as sparring partners.

With real UFC workouts this fitness game will have you hurting oh so good with your newly sore muscles activated by UFC training workouts, just like the MMA fighters.

“It’s one of my tricks. Get an axe.”

If you are a fan of zombies and/or First Person Views then you should keep tabs on a little known game called DEAD ISLAND.

Set on a tropical island resort, overrun by undead guests, you are one of only a few survivers - four survivers to be exact. Does it sound like LEFT 4 DEAD? Yes. Does it play like it? Can’t say since no gameplay footage is currently available. What is available is a cinematic trailer that shows everything I have just detailed about the game.

From the trailer you can see that unlike LEFT 4 DEAD’s enraged mutants, these are actually zombies. You can also see that the tone is pretty dark and depressing.

What is known for sure about DEAD ISLAND?
-focus on melee combat and customization
-4 player co-op with RPG elements
-set in a beautiful yet gruesome open world

It’s shaping up to be a combination of LEFT 4 DEAD and BORDERLANDS on a vacation getaway. Let’s just hope it turns out to be at least half as good as those awesome titles.

California Extreme, a yearly classic arcade and pinball celebration event expo, will be held in Santa Clara, California July 17-18.

The games will not accept quarters, as they are all set to free play! Arcade enthusiasts — It’s on like, well, Donkey Kong! You won’t wanna miss this.

Arcades, once popular and profitable staples in American cities, have since been reduced to “family fun entertainment centers”. Many arcade games at these “family fun spots” have been substituted for cheap ticket redemption machines. Sadly, the arcade, as it was known, is nearly extinct. Fortunately, California Extreme celebrates the classic arcade experience with hundreds of arcade and pinball machines, as well as raffles and prizes, talks, seminars and tournaments. Prototype and never released arcade games and recently discovered rare video arcade footage are promised, too. All on free play with paid admission.

California Extreme 2010
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara
July 17-18, 2010

Ticket Prices:
Saturday - $40
Sunday - $30
Weekend - $60

Hours:
Saturday 11:00 am - 2:00 am
Sunday 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Hyatt Regency Santa Clara

Also, free parking.

http://www.caextreme.org/

Haven’t had enough rustlin’ in the old west in Red Dead Redemption yet? Rockstar just announced four new DLC packs for Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, with the first one — dubbed “Legends and Killers” — due in August for $10. What can you expect? Oh how about some new characters, weapons and active map locations (for both free-roaming and competitive multiplayer modes) to be added to New Austin over the coming months. AND ZOMG WTH … ZOMBIE COWBOYZ!?~…

Mosey on down sit a spell and look at what they have a comin’ pardner.

Legends and Killers — August 2010 (800 MS Points / $9.99)

* Nine new multiplayer map locations
* Eight new multiplayer characters, including some from Red Dead Revolver
* New projectile weapon, The Tomahawk, with corresponding multiplayer and single-player challenges
* New Achievements and Trophies

Liars and Cheats — Launch date TBD (800 MS Points / $9.99)

* Attack and Defend multiplayer competitive mode and challenges
* New multiplayer horse races, with mounted combat
* Play as “the heroes and villains” of Red Dead Redemption, as well as eight new multiplayer characters
* Multiplayer versions of Liar’s Dice and Poker from the single-player game
* New weapon, The Explosive Rifle, with corresponding multiplayer and single-player challenges
* New Achievements and Trophies

Free Roam — Launch date TBD (Price TBD)

* Additional Free Roam challenges
* New action areas and defensive placements
* Posse scoring and leaderboards
* New anti-griefing measures in Free Roam

Undead Nightmare — Launch date TBD (800 MS Points / $9.99)

* New single-player adventure, challenges and quests
* Eight new multiplayer zombie characters
* Additional animals to hunt
* New dynamic events “and more”

Move over Movie Madness Monday readers.., *$aving$ $unday* comes early in at almost a week early again this week~!

For those that Havent purchased Red Dead Revolver yet,

Gamestop.com has their POWER HOUR sale today at noon for the game for $25

If you use the normal ‘SAVER’ code for the discount you’ll get free shipping too (if i remember right that might be 2 day shipping).

It’s a phenomenal deal if you dont have the game already, i would suggest being online at Noon because its gonna sell out instantaneously.

Cheers,

Quinn

Late night talk show host Jimmy Fallon loves video games. In fact, he makes every effort to talk about and have guests from the industry on his show to prove it.

Last week, fresh from E3 2010, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime was one of the featured guests. The Regginator, as he was once called by fans, brought the upcoming Donkey Kong Country Returns Wii game, along with a small surprise he had tucked away in his jacket pocket.

Jimmy knows video games.
Watch the video for proof.

Does Jimmy really love video games or does he love the exposure, demographics and ratings that come along with talking about video games? What do you think? Only Jimmy knows for sure.

Not many people have had the opportunity to play Nintendo’s next money-printing handheld system the 3DS. Although, those fortunate enough to attend this year’s E3 had that chance, albeit long lines and only about twenty minutes of actual play time.
Nintendo promised 3D technology without the use of silly, expensive glasses and, so far, they seem to have delivered. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said Nintendo plans to make “elaborate games targeting serious gamers”. Also, the system’s graphics are said to be on par with those of PS3 and 360. If seeing is believing, those who attended E3 now believe. The 3DS is one powerful handheld 3D machine.

Of the 3DS games announced, including Kid Icarus: Uprising and Mario Kart 3DS, the one that most excited me was the reveal of Capcom’s Resident Evil: Revelations. The story seems to focus, again, on Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine, this time bickering and pointing guns toward another on a ship. The last time a Resident Evil title took place on a ship was Resident Evil: Gaiden(Gameboy Color, 2001) and Resident Evil: Dead Aim(PS2, 2003). If anyone remembers, those titles didn’t fare very well. Hopefully Capcom can reverse the ship curse.

It must be noted that the trailer, supposedly, showcases the in-game graphic engine hard at work. No word on the game’s release, although one shouldn’t expect it for quite some time.

Yes I did play Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, and yes I got my back side kicked. So what? Let me tell you what went wrong.

First of all, the button layout has been changed. It is now more simplified and similar to TATSUNOKU VS CAPCOM. You got a light attack-medium attack-heavy attack-areal attack, which automatically launches your opponent up. So now all characters can put their enemies in the air just by pushing one button. Unlike Marvel vs. Capcom 2, which featured four attack buttons separated as two pairs of low and high punches and kicks. Other then that, the controls are more or less the same as previous versions. You can hit one bumper to switch out either one of your three characters, or hit both with your power meter up for a triple attack.

The Graphics are very nice, but I think the crazy colors and flashes are a bit too much. It confuses me, I don’t know if I’m pulling a special move off or not. Capcom is definitely using Street Fighter IV’s style, and while the graphics aren’t a straight ripoff of that game, the influence is there. I must admit, backgrounds are gorgeous, and for a first in the series, they make sense. What I mean is they represent each character instead of just…well, not making sense. The music seemed alright as well. Nothing special, but at least it’s not smooth jazz.

And last but not not least, I-suck-ass. Hardcore players are going to be just as good as they were in MVC’s of past. I cannot wait for this game to release so that I can get more of a beating, although I must admit, it does have a more approachable appeal to it, so hopefully I can beat down on some newcomers.

To conclude my professionalism, I would like to show you a list of characters that was “leaked” online by the same person that listed the characters for SUPER STREET FIGHTER IV months before it was confirmed. He was right about that, is he right about this?

MARVEL:
*Hulk*
*Wolverine*
*Deadpool*
*Captain America*
*Iron Man*
*Dormammu* (Boss)
Spider-Man
Elektra
Thor
X-23 (female clone of Wolverine)
Magneto
Dr. Doom
Shuma-Gorath
Emma Frost
Mr. Fantastic (WRONG!)
Super Skrull (with all Fantastic 4 powers)
Taskmaster (mimics others/predicts moves by watching them)
Juggernaut
She-Hulk

CAPCOM:
*Ryu*
*Dante*
*Felicia*
*Morrigan*
*Chris Redfield*
Mike Hagger
Frank West
Bionic Commando
Arthur
Amaterasu (Okami)
Albert Wesker
Zero
Chun-Li
Viewtiful Joe
Trish (Devil May Cry)
Tron Bonne
Hsien-Ko (DarkStalkers)
Akuma

P.S.
Characters confirmed to be absent from the game have so far included Tyrant and Nemesis of the Resident Evil series, as well as the four members of Marvel’s Fantastic Four, who were excluded at the company’s suggestion (which may have something to do with the movie reboot that is in the works, FANTASTIC FOUR: REBORN). Seth Killian has also stated that Amingo will not appear. Thank Goodness!

Get ready to Fight! Marvel vs Capcom 3 is set for a Spring 2011 release on PS3 and 360

If you are looking at this post you better have seen the the game play of GOW3, and if not, here you go! The game play starts at 1:03 if you don’t have the patience.

The Gears of war have certainly been turning since part 2, but (as a fan) I have to say it was not the best experience I had at E3. Not too many major changes were made to the format. We already knew about the weapon swapping, playable females (Sam and Anya), more Lambent enemies and new weapons before E3. So what did my fellow gear heads notice on the video? The “Bag and Tag” move, which is the act of slapping a grenade onto a meat shields back and letting him loose. A nasty Lambent Berserker that just doesn’t die and that’s pretty much it. Not that it’s a bad thing, it’s just not enough. It wasn’t awe inspiring like the last two games have been for me. But it is way too early for me to review GOW3, especially since I haven’t even played the fraggin thing.

If you were paying attention to the end of the video, Cliffy B. mentioned something called BEAST MODE. While there was no playable demo at E3 I did get the chance to sit in on a live demonstration of the game play.

Beast Mode is the opposite of Horde Mode which is in Gears of War 2. In Horde Mode, you were the COG fending off waves of AI Locust that gradually became more difficult, but in GOW3’s Beast Mode, you are the locust fighting the AI COG. In Beast mode, you earn tokens for killing your enemies. These tokens allow you to unlock stronger locusts. For example, you start off with a Ticker and soon after you can upgrade to be a Wretch, Drone, Kantus, Boomer, Mauler, etc. and even a Berserker. New locust were also revealed. An Armored Kantus, duel-wielding guns, an electrified centipede creature and a Digger Boomer.

The unique part about this mode is that each locust retains it’s special ability that it has within the main campaign. For example, the Kantus priest has the ability to revive other locust from afar, the Berserker is known to be semi-blind so when you play as the Berserker, you as the player have limited/hazy sight. I also noticed that the bigger locust (like the boomers) now have the ability to vault over obstacles in there path, just like COG’s.

It sounds like there are nothing but pro’s about this mode, right? But what about the con’s? Well I numbered them for your convenience. 1-when you kill an enemy they explode, no matter what, even if you kill them with claws or a butcher knife, which are certain locusts weapons. 2-you start off battling stranded, then move up to COG’s. Does this sound like a variety of enemies or just waves of guys with lancers? 3-Horde mode got boring, fast. Will Beast mode be any different? Now these faults might just be my own, but they are still worth noticing.

On a side note these are the characters that have been confirmed to be in GOW 3: Marcus, Cole, Dom, Baird, Jace, Anya, Hoffman and a new character called Sam. Dizzy, Tai, Alex Brand and Clay Carmine (and maybe Sgt. Madison Carmine?) will be confirmed by Cliffy B. at Comic-Con, which is July 22nd-25th. Also Microsoft officially detailed Ice T’s character Griffin as the leader of a rag-tag group of human survivors (Stranded) who Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad will encounter.

That’s it for now people. A lot of news has been released but the wait is far from over. The fight continues April 8th 2011.

As I witnessed what appeared to be a car crashing in slow motion into a flaming 18 wheeler of small animals and children, I soon came back to consciousness and realized I was watching Kinect at Microsoft’s E3 press conference (I didn’t get much sleep).

After watching the Microsoft press conference I couldn’t help but feel the big Oprah moment was a last ditch effort to buy the press’s appreciation of a very blatant Wii rip off. These are the feelings of someone who hadn’t yet played it or witnessed what was to come the following day with ‘Child of Eden’ at the Ubisoft press event.

Seeing such a huge chunk of time being dedicated to Kinect Sports, Kinect Adventures, and Kinectimals gave me the message from Microsoft; “Wii want wii dollars”. It is their  job to compete in the market place. It is only fair they create innovative and entertaining technology to challenge the norm of video game playing. Yet it left me feeling three good titles dedicated to the hardcore gaming populace was threatening to my favorite past-time.

The other staff of The Flow can all recount my reactions.

Until I had the chance to play Kinect for myself, I had many doubts. To then play Kinect was an experience of potential, rather than “Oh my goodness joy”. In a small little room with a Kinect wrangler (the lady Microsoft paid to say its fun) and three other individuals who would be playing 2 player portions of the games available for ten minutes per title. I was given the choice of playing two games. I picked Kinect Sports as my first choice, trying to compare and contrast just how different the game is than its Wii spirited source. And my second choice was Kinect Adventures for appearing to take advantage of the whole body.

Now with Kinect Sports, besides having nothing in your hand it didn’t really showcase a big difference in game play or mechanics from a Wii title. The demo was of the bowling portion which just felt like a complete copy of Wii bowling. Nothing I experienced showcased the possibilities of having a full body sensor and being able to make the most of it (throwing bowling balls to dent the floor doesn’t count). Grapichally it looked like a glossier Wii title. It wasn’t that fun when it is a pre packaged Wii title that’s been around for more than a couple years.

Although Kinect Adventures really showed off the technology. Playing the dodge ball game gave me a true little kid moment, seeing my on screen avatar correspond to my movements was an amazing experience. It wasn’t 1:1 has I had hoped but was simply fun. Being able to hit, kick, and get in my opponets way helped define what is to be expected from Kinect. Of course there were glitches and bugs (like my body falling threw the floor and my head only being visible on the floor), the Kinect demo person assured this build of the game was only 70% done.

Having spent that amount of time with the device, I wasn’t sold on it. It was fun to play yet still felt far away from what it could be. However Child of Eden is a glimpse into what hopefully will be the new norm. It was fun, not fun enough to justify buying a additional piece of hardware that had no real ground breaking titles. I honestly felt like they could of held off on this technology for another year or two.

Possibly the most controversial debut of this year’s E3, Nintendo’s 3DS system is kicking up a dust storm of “what ifs” and “I hopes” from the gaming community. In this infantile era of 3D gaming, it’s no wonder that folks are thrilled at the possibility of a handheld 3D system - glasses not required, no less!

Yup. There’s no doubt it sounds great, but is it all it’s cracked up to be?

Well, after spending two precious hours standing still at Nintendo’s DMV-inspired E3 booth, we finally got a chance to lay hands on the product, and this is what we discovered…

First things first: The 3DS is smaller than the XL. Check the specs:

DSi
Display: 3.25″
Touch Screen: 3.25″

DSi XL
Display: 4.2″
Touch Screen: 4.2″

3DS
Display: 3.53″
Touch Screen: 3.02″

Interestingly, the 3DS’s touch screen is even smaller than the original DSi, but since it’s the first DS to have screens of different sizes, the display is slightly larger.

As for the 3D itself, it looks pretty amazing as long as you’re the perfect distance away and you remain perfectly still, directly in front of it. Move your head from side-to-side, lean in too close, too far, or any number of other unapproved motions, and you’ll end up with a very distracting “double vision” effect. I even heard a few complaints of headaches, which is really saying something, considering the fact that no one person was allowed to spend more than 20 minutes using the thing.

Snake: “Why are you standing so close? You’re making me cross-eyed.”

Of course, I’ve also only been able to sample the 3DS briefly, but given my past experience with handheld systems, I suspect long-term users will complain of sore arms and necks as a result of their movement being so restricted by the stringent demands of the technology.

Luckily, the 3DS does come with a slider to adjust the depth of the 3D effect (even turning it off completely if desired), so you can play your games in good, old-fashioned 2D when ya feel like it, but somehow the thought of playing a 3D system in 2D seems kind of… lame. Especially considering the fact that this new 3D system is not likely to be cheap. Popular rumors set the production costs for Nintendo’s 3DS system at somewhere around $300.00 per unit (possibly a good reason for not making them XL), which means the end user will be shelling out some serious dough to pick up this latest Nintengadget.

Another thing that concerns me is that DS fans who can’t afford to upgrade may be left out in the cold, unless Nintendo is kind enough to make their 3D titles backwards-compatible (albeit without the 3D glamor). Odds of playing 3DS titles on an older system are slim-to-none though, for the inclusion of one thing: The 3DS has a PSP-style analog, just above the D-pad.

Last but not least, there is another huge factor to consider: The built-in 3D camera is spectacular. With the snap of a button, the 3DS’s dual lenses combine to create a dazzling 3D image of whatever person, place or thing you decide to capture. There are even a few games on the horizon which make compelling use of this technology, allowing users to take 3D photos of themselves which are then instantly transformed into in-game avatars. I must admit, this was my favorite aspect of the system, and I seriously can’t wait to make good use of it on my own time.

The inclusion of this technology helps to justify whatever price Nintendo slaps on this thing when it comes out too, since even non-gamers may want to pick up a user-friendly 3D camera with built-in Wi-Fi and other goodies. Of course, the 3D images will only be viewable on a device which has the same display technology as the 3DS itself, which is (as far as I know) proprietary, so it may not be that much of a seller after all.

In the end, I’m sure the 3DS will be great for those who can afford it, but if the price is as high as I suspect it will be, and Nintendo delivers it as a “forced” upgrade in order to continue picking up new DS titles, I just worry that a lot of old-school DS fans may be more annoyed than overjoyed at its release. I sincerely hope the folks over at Nintendo are thinking about that crowd, too.

Here’s a funny-yet-mildly-creepy commercial for Nintendo’s newest innovation:

NOTE: The dramatic representation of Mario standing on top of the 3DS like Princess Leia is about as accurate as 2+2=94. While the actual effect is very cool, it’s also much more subtle than you might imagine having seen this promo.