Update
According to Joystiq, this week also sees the release of Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game, an 8-bit, 2-D side-scrolling beat-em-up -- which by all accounts seems to be really good -- and a demo for Valkyria Chronicles 2, while Playstation Plus subscribers are also treated to an expansion for PixelJunk Racers (PixelJunk Racers 2nd Lap), which they get for free. Wow, some of this stuff is so good, Sony should really think about starting to advertise!

Continuing on with this year's Summer Of Arcade promotion, this week's release is Team Fortress 2-a-like, Monday Night Combat. The game is a class-based third-person shooter, and is set in the near future where the world's favourite televised sport is arena-based combat -- think The Running Man, but with more laughs, and fewer people being chainsawed in two.

Like Team Fortress 2, the game seems to have its tongue planted firmly in-cheek, and looks like it could be a lot of fun. Monday Night Combat is set to release on XBLA on August 11th, for the price of 1200MSP. For more information check out the two videos below -- one is a standard gameplay trailer, whilst the other is a bonus which shows off the game's quirky sense of humour.



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Today I met N'Gai Croal while I was getting my usual lunch salad from Ralph's in Marina del Rey. I've always really respected his work and it was awesome to meet him. Super nice guy, too.

Hi, N'Gai! no comments

Did you see the new mulitplayer vid for Call of Duty: Black Ops? (oooh, I just thought of a new name for my porn-game. Let me go put that in really quick...)

Ok, I'm back. Anyways, check it out, it looks pretty sweet. Overall it seems very familiar, but there are some cool looking new weapons, especially the explosive RC car and the also-explosive crossbow. The best part comes at the very end though, when it shows a new video editing feature. Freaking finally. no comments

As the first piece of DLC for Alan Wake, “The Signal” picks up at the end of the game's main story, though rather than progressing the narrative in a linear fashion, takes it off into new (albeit previously hinted at) territory.   As a result, the game's story takes something of an unexpected turn, and though “The Signal” doesn't give much away in terms of plot, it does a good job of setting the scene for forthcoming DLC instalments, and it really makes you wonder where Remedy will take the story from here.

In regard to its story, the premise for “The Signal” is fairly simple, and after the events of the main game, Alan Wake finds himself lost in the nightmare world once again. Trapped, and with no idea how to get out, he soon receives a phone and a cryptic message from an old friend, and with this, he sets out to find “the signal” – a waypoint on the phone's GPS system which he must reach in order to escape the nightmare world.
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UPDATE!: I thought of some more potential names and put them after the break. I'm sorry, I'm just very, very childish. Enjoy!

Dear Video Games,

You took my last idea for a game and totally screwed it up, but I'm going to trust you with this next one.

I would like you to create a porn-based, Kinect-enabled RPG where players take on the role of an up-and-coming young stud, humping his way through the turbulent adult film industry.

I think it should be called "Call of Booty: Modern Whorefare." I will also accept "Biocock."

If you guys have any more ideas for game features or perhaps another name, leave it in the comments. no comments

This week's Summer Of Arcade title is Castlevania Harmony of Despair, a 2-D side-scrolling action adventure game in the same vein as series high-point Symphony of the Night, but this time there's a twist; the game features up to six player online co-op, and players can explore individually, or team up and utilise the games new combo attack system.

The environments and bosses in Harmony of Despair seem to be largely made up of assets from the recent Nintendo DS titles Dawn of Sorrow, Portrait of Ruin, and Order of Ecclesia, so if you've played all three of those games you may want to avoid this -- unless the idea of being able to play co-operatively (or antagonistically, in the game's "survival" multiplayer mode) with five friends is enough to keep you interested.

Castlevania Harmony of Despair, and is set to release on XBLA on August 4th, for the price of 1200MSP.

There's also some great news if you're a Playstation owner this week, as Sony has launched a summer sale over on the Playstation store. Everything in the sale is now half price, and there are some great games in the promotion, such as Fat Princess and Pixeljunk Shooter.

A full list of titles included in the promotion, as well as their respective prices, can be found here. no comments

As you may have heard on this week's podcast, I managed to get my grubby mitts on an extra download code for a copy of the recently released Alan Wake DLC pack, "The Signal". You may also have heard that I have decided to give this code away to one lucky reader, in the form of a competition.

However, there is a catch though, and you'll need to do something to earn the download code, and that something is this:

Leave a comment on this post containing your best Alan Wake related haiku poem.

Here are the rules:

1. It MUST be a proper haiku poem.  See here for guidance.
2. It MUST be Alan Wake related.
3. As this is a European region code, the code will only work on European Xboxes. Therefore, entrants MUST be from Europe/the UK.

Other than that, you're free to be as creative as you please. Your entry can be as funny or as serious as you want, just try to be original.  Also, this competition is supposed to be a bit of fun, SO GO NUTS, have a good time, and I wish you all good luck! no comments

To be honest, only today did I sit down and look at Nintendo's darling E3 2010 show stealer, the Nintendo 3DS. It looks pretty spiffy; I like how the buttons are laid out, and I think the analog stick will work out nicely. I don't know why they didn't make a second stick on the right side of the screen, though; were they actually unaware of the PSP's criticisms since….wait for it….2004?

There are over 70 games already lined up, and although Nintendo doesn't seem to be skimping on their treasured tradition of shovelware, there are quite a few interesting titles, too. I'm not sure if they're enough to actually interest me in a dedicated handheld gaming system again, but we here at the Easy Towers will keep our eyes peeled, so you don't have to. Here are a few of the eyebrow-raising titles I found:

A Boy and His Blob
Contra
"Harmonix Music Project"
Kid Icarus: Uprising
The Legend of Zelda - Ocarina of Time 3D
Mario Kart 3DS
Ninja Gaiden
Nintendogs + Cats
Paper Mario 3DS
Pilotwings Resort
Star Fox 64 3D
Super Street Figher IV 3D Edition no comments

Continuing this years Summer Of Arcade promotion, this week sees the release of Hydro Thunder Hurricane on XBLA. The game will release today, July 28th, and will cost 1200MSP.

We here at The Easy Mode don't know a huge amount about this game, other than the fact that it's a sequel to arcade game Hydro Thunder, a powerboat racing game which was later released on Dreamcast, Playstation and Nintendo 64. However, the game looks like it'll be in the same vein as the F-Zero and Wipeout games, and could be a lot of fun, and it should be worth checking out the demo when it lands. For an idea of what to expect, check out the video below.

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The first of two (that we know of, at least) planned DLC packs for Alan Wake is set to launch later today, July 27th.
The DCL is priced at 560MSP ($7 US), though anyone who bought the game new will get this content free, courtesy of a download code which shipped with the game.

If you bought your copy of the game new, then there's very little reason not to pick this up. If you don't have a code, and you're on the fence as to whether to pick this up or not, then don't worry because there will be a review coming some time in the near future.

Update: If you redeemed your download code prior the release of the DLC, and have realised that the content doesn't automatically download, then fear not, as Microsoft are e-mailing out new download codes to you right now. What you shouldn't do, however, is go to the XBL Marketplace, and try to download the content from there (like I did), as you will be charged for it.  If you do find yourself in this unfortunate position, then call the Xbox customer support team, and they should refund the points to your account. no comments