Welcome to Retro Gaming Roundtable, where we take a bunch of retro gaming experts and enthusiasts, ask them a question, and see how they respond. Hopefully, the result is a rather thorough treatment of the prompt with some entertaining quips along the way.

This is our third article (read our second here). Feel free to share with fellow retro-game lovers, leave comments on the topic, etc., and check out the contributors, as they all have their own cool projects going on, many of which can be followed on Twitter.

By the way, this is a special edition — because we have a giveaway! Read on to the end for contest entry details, but to summarize: Comment on this post with your answer to the RGR question, have a chance to sweet some sweet Nintendo-themed items. Read on!

Prompt #3: All subjective arguments and hyperbolic arguments aside, what is one thing that older video games did better than current ones do?

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The Retro Critic, The Retro Critic Blog: “There was a fresh creativity to older games that is very seldom matched in newer releases. Now I’m not saying that today’s games are completely devoid of any merit whatsoever and that there aren’t exceptions. It was just different back then, every Mario game release at the time was an event: the game had to blow us away and surpass its predecessors. Now, we buy Mario games like we buy milk, and the games last just about as long.

You could say that older games were more imaginative, they were better at capturing the impossible and making you feel like you were a part of something truly unique. They could conceptualise new revolutionary ideas, no matter how far-fetched and immerse us in strange new universes. Sega and Nintendo rely greatly on their old franchises: the road has been laid out and gamers know more or less what they can expect from certain game sequels because of the lasting impact made by the classics.

These days, it’s shocking how many games are happy with just being first-person shooters about soldiers shooting at aliens/other soldiers. Most of the time, it’s like being in a bad sci-fi war B movie (Battle: LA springs to mind). Again, there are exceptions but so few games try successfully to transport gamers into new surreal worlds. The focus today being more on getting the graphics as close to perfection as possible. The guys at Crytek driving themselves mad trying to get every speck of dust or grass pixel beautifully polished when all they need to do is give that grass a face and get it to bounce around and shoot lasers at those pesky specks of dust. Am I wrong? Ok I’m wrong but hell, that sounds like one pretty great NES title right there.

Games are more cinematic now but back in the day games were just… games. It didn’t matter if your character was a sunglasses-wearing pimple and could only side-scroll from left to right. The surrealism of these new concepts added a certain atmosphere to the games you were playing, hence the nostalgic charm they inherently possess. The aim was to take you away from boring old real life and introduce you to something uncanny and unique. I guess the start of our obsession with virtual reality was the start of our neverending goal to replicate our actual lives in video games.

Damn you Virtual Boy!

Older games could call on the gamer’s imagination considerably more than today’s games which are, instead, more about offering us GTA-style thrills. Which is fair enough. Hey, remember when Grand Theft Auto was basically filmed by hefty seagulls?
Yeah, some newer games might be worth giving them a go…

I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I do miss the creativity of older games though. They knew they couldn’t replicate reality so they looked beyond the obvious. A conflicted US Marine? Forget that, I want to be Alfred Chicken. I want to be Krusty The Clown and lead innocent rodents to their cruel, painful, inevitable death. And never mind those insect-style aliens, why can’t I just be Robocop and battle fierce armies of Terminators?
I guess I can… thanks retro gaming!”

Mason Cramer, Year Of The Moth: “In gameplay, the zen of pitting one’s human mind against a fast but primitive computer has been traded for immersive computer simulated realities. Old video games better embody the noble tradition of man vs. machine.”

Rob Clay, Flailthroughs: “Without a doubt, music. I feel that limitations can often spark creativity, and retro game music had to be catchy, because there’s only so much you can do with an 8- or 16-bit soundchip. Even some of the truly, notoiously awful games of the NES era, like Superman, are redeemed at least in part by gorgeous music that you can actually hum. Today, crappy game soundtracks sound pretty much the same as crappy movie soundtracks. Every so often I hear a winner, but they’re fewer and farther between. I am certain this is because of the superiority of retro games and not just because I am old. Absolutely certain. Reasonably certain.”

Peisinoe, The Lady Retro Blog: “This one hit me immediately. I mean, it’s discussed so often, and I think it’s the obvious answer. One thing that older games do better is provide a real challenge. Of course, I’ll use my favorite series because I think using a series is best to delineate what has changed.

Legend of Zelda for the NES is a simple game. It only allows for a forward strike with the sword. Yes, if your hearts are full, it will shoot across the room but only straight ahead of you. The boomerang goes different directions, but accuracy isn’t its strong suit. While the bosses of each level require very few hits, you have to dodge fireballs in the process. Each sword upgrade makes the enemies a little easier to beat, but they are so plentiful per screen that it still is difficult at times.

Now, Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess (I could just as easily use Skyward Sword as my example, but because of all the retro games I’ve obtained recently, it’s been put on the back burner, incomplete.) is an exciting game. It’s pretty and the enemies look intimidating. All that stuff gives you the false sense that this game is harder. Yes, it takes many more hours to complete because it is a vast game, but it is not more difficult. You have the ability to swing your sword in several directions. No, it doesn’t shoot across the room, but you don’t need it to do that. What has changed things, and made them so much easier, is the program does the work of aiming for you through the z-target. You no longer have to turn yourself ever so slightly to hit an enemy. It is covered. The bosses don’t require more hits, and with z-target and the right weapon, that boss will never come near you. Oh, and he’s not shooting fireballs at you this time.

In their simplicity, older games have limitations that newer games do not. The challenge is created through those limitations. As video games progress, the challenge will be less and less. But, they will be prettier, and that’s what video games are all about, right?”

Josh Miller, Lameazoid.com: “So, this kind of feels like a cop out answer, but one of the things that older games did better was stimulate the imagination.  Ok, that sounds cheesier than I expected it would.

Modern games, with their fill motion HD cinematic scenes and lifelike expressions don’t allow for this sort of liberty.  Everything is expressly told to to the player and very little is left tot he imagination on who a character is.  This isn’t always the case of course but when it comes to mainstream larger titles, it certainly seems to be that way.”

Mr. Retro Sports, Retro Sports Gamer: “For one thing, older video games always required a pencil and paper nearby and I’m sure we all lament that we just don’t have robust save game systems like copying down a 20-character password any longer.  Here’s what older games DEFINITELY did better: in-person co-op and multiplayer.  The days of rushing off the school bus to get in 35 minutes of Madden ’94 with your friend before your parents got home are long gone.  Heck, they even make commercials now about how you don’t have to be in the same room with your friends to play together (the hell with being social).  “Wait, who are you talking to, Randy? Oh, it’s Johnny next door on skype playing some random bullshit FPS with me!” “Cool, we don’t even have to leave our bedrooms!” That is my interpretation of the drama portrayed in this commercial.  You know, the one where they then show the Dad playing the same co-op game IN A DIFFERENT ROOM IN THE SAME HOUSE.  Everything is grainy video and muffled head set noises today.  The experience of staying up all night to burn through twelve different NES games isn’t one just lost to youth and nostalgia.  A co-op game like Contra today would result in laggy netcode and six dropped games before you even got to the second stage.  While there are bonuses to being able to connect with long distance friends, I’m specifically referring to the death of local multiplayer.  And it can get worse.  Why keep local multiplayer even as an in-game option (in Halo for example) when by removing it you can force someone else to buy their own copy to play online against their friends? This would never happen on the Atari 2600.”

Nintendo Legend, NintendoLegend.com: “Ugh. This was a tougher question than I expected. I love old video games, so when I first read it, I was like, “Oh yeah, sure, I’ll just pick my favorite superior aspect and go with it, sure.” But, then, well, the argument becomes tougher than that. Is my sole opinion enough to go on for a component, or do I really need to find a bullet-proof argument? What is at stake here? Then I realized I was overthinking the question, as I am oft’ to do.

Now that I wasted a paragraph’s worth of time from your life, my answer: Single-player experiences. That sounds anti-social of me, but consider: Modern gaming, modern technology, and modern economic/distribution/marketing models all favor multiplayer, especially as a profit incentive. I do not blame developers one bit for developing toward multiplayer, and making the FPS scene what it is. I realize that not every modern game falls under my ire on this category, but I have to say, I am the kind of person that likes to completely, 100% absorb myself into my own private little (this is sounding really weird) cave-experience of gaming. I cannot even fully wordify (totally just wordificated that word) the sensation, the phenomenon, but there is something to be said for those lone warrior, pre-Internet, Wild West pioneering days when beating Legend Of Zelda meant figuring out the hidden-dungeon locations on your own, when having your friend down the street share the 30-man Contra code was a mind-blowing/eye-opening experience, when bringing Crystalis home from Funcoland only to discover that it is actually an amazing game was an awesome life-changing event, and… yeah, there are countless examples I could cite. Let’s just say this: If not the single-player experience itself, listen carefully, I would emphasize the mystery that gaming used to have. One-player mystery. That’s it for me. The lonesome wonder.”

Matthew Hull, Tigmo55.com: “The first thing that instantly comes to mind is accessibility. While I am a lifelong gamer who loves video games from pretty much any era (just keep me far, far away from the FPS genre), the greatest strength of retro gaming, other than nostalgia, has to be the simplicity and accessibility of its games. You don’t have to be an experienced video game fan to enjoy a classic like Pac-Man or Tetris or Super Mario Bros. The easy-to-learn, tough-to-master mantra describes old-school gaming perfectly. Anyone can jump right in and have a great time regardless of their skill levels or experience. This was a natural by-product of the heavy constraints on video games at the time (e.g. low graphic and music capabilities, limited control options, et cetera…)  and ironically enough, happens to be a real strength of older video games. Not to knock on current-gen games but, while many of them are incredibly fun games in their own right (I just finished playing The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword a few moments ago actually.), the learning curve can be rather steep at times…especially for novice gamers.

Let me just say this: If you were to introduce me to someone who was completely unfamiliar with video games, I would probably recommend something like Pac-Man first. Heck, even Pong would be a fantastic choice. The last thing that I would want to do is introduce someone to an overly complex video game with a myriad of controls to cover. And many games of today are not only complicated for beginners (or noobs as it were), they are built specifically for veteran gamers in the first place! So naturally, I would choose an older video game (or at the very least a new video game based on an older classic) to teach someone with rather than something new.”

Septicor, Septicor: “All subjective arguments and hyperbolic opinions aside: What is the one thing that older video games did better than current ones?

Difficulty.

There are a lot more games back in the days of Nintendo and Sega, that give real challenges. That’s why there actually a term called “NES Hard”. Games like Mike Tyson’s Punch Out, Battletoads, and Silver Surfer were not simple games, and gave a real test of skill when playing throughout. If someone actually beat Mike Tyson in the video game, he would be just as revered and admired as someone who actually beat Mike Tyson in the boxing ring. If you can succeed in something, like beat Contra without using the Konami code, or defeat all eight robot masters in Mega Man 2 with just the default gun, they were true accomplishments that showed real skill. I remember when I was a kid, the day I beat Ninja Gaiden, or when I finished Castlevania 3: Dracula’s Curse without Grant, Alucard or Sypha in my party, and they were things I could be proud of, and brag to my other friends.

Most newer games, for the Playstation 3 or X-Box 360 give a sense that the difficulty is dumbed down with long tutorials, easier difficulty curves, and just generally ways to make the game simpler. There are good exceptions to this rule, like Demons Souls and Dark Souls, which are genuinely difficult and give a big challenge. But with other longer games, like Skyrim, the challenge is more connected with the amount of time you spend to get your character to the point where nothing is a challenge anymore.

Newer consoles have trophies, or accomplishments, that try to mask the challenge by giving additional accolades to the game, but the majority of the newer games just give you trophies for completing chapters of the game, thus defeating the purpose of getting a trophy. It’s like getting a participation pin for your mandatory grade school Track and Field, when you weren’t athletic at all, but still had to try the long jump, and looked like an idiot, and only jumped a feet or so, and all the other kids pointed and laughed and you ran home and cried, but you still got a lousy, stinking, stupid pin for it. (At least, that’s what I heard happened. That’s not a tear, I have allergies, is all. Where was I?)

One prime example is the game World of Warcraft. Now, full disclosure; I tried the game once, about 6 years ago, and it was a dull, boring experience for me. But I still respect the impact the game has made. My buddy, who is pretty hardcore in that game, told me recently, that when the game started, it would take months and months of grinding and skipping work to get a character from level 1 to the max level 60, and getting that achievement was a badge of honour among other WoW players, and the quest to get there was the game aspect, which made it fun for all. Now, you can get to max level 80 in significantly less time than that. People can just plow through and get to the end-game content quickly, and the newer players have it much easier, because now they can join a game without sinking so much time into it. It didn’t ruin the game altogether, it just wasn’t the same.

Take for another example, the difference between Super Mario Brothers for the original Nintendo, and the New Super Mario Brothers Wii. First, you can save your progress in the newer game, and it saves all the extra lives you collected, so you can return to your progress with 99 men, raring to go. In the original, you had to beat it in one sitting, if you really wanted to. In Super Mario World, you can save your progress, but you have to collect your men all over again. The biggest question mark over my head over the Wii version? Let’s say you’re at the last castle in World 5, and you just can’t get it together to make that jump, and you already lost about 10 men trying. You go back into the level the next time, and there’s now a hint button over you, asking you if you need a hint or need to see a walk though of that stage.

No.

No, I don’t.

I mean … No!

But, I, uh, No!!!!

I was floored when I saw that. It’s basically the game is now the older brother grabbing the controller, saying “here, let me do it for you, you doofus”. It’s actually insulting for the game to prompt me on that. It’s my game, let me try that on my own.”

RetroGamerVE, Pixenario.com: “¿Cual es esa cosa que los videojuegos viejos hacían mejor que los juegos actuales?

Como siempre, dificil pregunta, pero alguien tiene que responderla. Podemos decir que los videojuegos actuales hacen cosas mucho mejores que los viejos, es cierto, Los sonidosson muchisimo mas detallados, y las gráficas nos muestran realidades ante nuestros ojos. Los movimientos de nuestros personajes son tan detallados que cada vez pareciera que no se podrán superar, pero lo siguen haciendo. Pero si hay una cosa que los videojuegos viejos hacían mejor que los actuales es: Nos obligan usar nuestra imaginación.

Precisamente esa falta de gráficas detalladas y sonidos perfectos, nos hacían (y hacen) complementar lo que les falta, con todo lo que genere nuestra imaginación. Nuestro cerebro y la consola, se vuelven uno para crear esa realidad fantástica en la que desarrollamos nuestras aventuras. Y ese trabajo en equipo entre el videojuego y el jugador se ha ido perdiendo con el paso de los años y los avances tecnológicos.”

Sean Ewington, UpUp-DownDown.com: “When I think about video games based on movies I imagine taking turns playing Lion King (1994) in my friend’s basement. I think about playing Aladdin (1993). And, of course, I think about playing GoldenEye 007 on the N64.

When I think about modern video games based on movies I need Wikipedia to remind me of titles. I stumble upon the entry on Spider-Man 2. “Ohh yeeaaaaaaah,” I recall. “That was pretty good.”

Retro video games based on movies seem better than modern ones. But it’s not just that warmth from the communal nature of those games, and it’s not just me.

This is a chart of video games (X axis – Titles) and their rankings (Y axis -
Average % Across Several Reviewers) over time. The chart begins in 1982 and ends in 2011. Only games that directly coincide with a film title are included (so no LEGO Harry Potter or things like Godzilla Trading Battle). And since video games have been around longer than Metacritic some scores only come from a single source like CRASH magazine or Your Sinclair. This also means ratings for some games (approximately 100 of the 200 originally collected) aren’t included on the graph, like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked  (2011). It’s not a perfect collection of data, but it’s a reasonable foundation.

The highest point on the graph is GoldenEye 007 (1997). No game before it or since is rated as high. Look at the wild distances between the first few points on the graph before GoldenEye 007.

Games were either successful [Robocop (1989) - 92%] or failures [Waterworld 1995 - 45%]. But modern video games based on movies (especially in the latter part of the graph) gravitate towards the 60% mark. There are still monumental flops [Dragonball: Evolution (2009) – 20% on IGN), but largely it seems the game industry is better at mitigating failure for video games based on movies, and better at fostering mediocrity. The broad brush strokes of bold developers become carefully controlled, meticulous lines.

Both modern and retro video games based on movies are finacially driven as film tie-ins. For example, graphics on the Aladdin Sega Genesis game are made by Disney animators under the supervision of the game developers (Virgin Interactive). But while modern games are released much closer to the theatrical release date, retro games release dates are much farther apart. Aladdin the game and Aladdin the movie are separated by a year. WALL-E the game (65% on Metacritic) and WALL-E the movie (94% on Metacritic) are separated by four days.

In an interview with NowGamer, Steve Ellis, a developer on GoldenEye said, “The reason it turned out so well is that no one was standing over you saying you don’t need to do that, move on to the next bit. I was on the explosions for a month and I didn’t have someone telling me I’d had a week and that was enough. If there had been, the game might have been out on time.”

Games releases might be more timely these days, but at what cost? Web-slinging in Spider-Man 2 is amazing. Much like “the real” Spider-Man each successive web-line you shoot has to be planned and controlled. Falling is always possible so there’s great satisfaction in web-swinging from building to building successfully and quickly. Everything else in the game is less remarkable. What would two more years of development have done for the Spider-Man 2? How might it have changed a generation of gamers and possible Spider-Man fans? I can’t answer that question – we don’t live in that kind of world anymore.”

Tyler Altrup, Twitter: “Anecdotal Accomplishment.
This is what old games did (do) better. What does that mean? Hear me out.

That’s right, Contra. This classic was freaking tough. Even beating this robo-wall felt GREAT. Boom, wall destroyed, level 2 here I come. New games still reward accomplishment–I readily admit that I’m obsessed with my Xbox Gamer Score–but it’s just not the same.

Want another example? How about Battletoads. This game was impossible. The Wind Tunnel level was downright ridiculous. You basically had to memorize it just to pass it. And what was the first thing you did when you beat a level in any classic game? You ran to school/work/neighbor’s house to tell a friend.

And this is why I differentiate anecdotal experience from modern game achievement. Old games relied on stories, on anecodotes, from friends to share your success.

To this day, there’s nothing quite like a win screen. Just beat Mr. X? Just beat down Shredder? Call a friend, tell a story, enjoy your moment of glory.”

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And that’s it! Thanks to the team for your usual intelligent, enjoyable insights, and w–

OH WHO CARES LET’S GET TO THE GIVEAWAY!!

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The First Retro Gaming Roundtable Giveaway Contest!

Here is what we are giving away, thanks to HalloweenCostumes.com (and on Twitter):

That’s some nice, free Nintendo stuff, right there.

All you need to do is leave a comment with these qualifications:

1) Your own answer to the discussion question. I don’t care if it’s long, short, smart, funny, whatever — I just want to hear your take on what old video games did better than modern ones do.

2) Your comment be tied to either your email address or Twitter account so I (Eric, Nintendo_Legend) can get in touch with you and arrange things when you win.

3) You have until 11:00pm, Central time, Thursday, February 23rd to comment. That gives you one week. After that, no contest entry for you.

That’s about it!  I am literally just going to write the names of all the commenters on index cards and randomly draw one — so don’t worry too much about the merit of your answer, but you do need to comment to qualify.

Otherwise, we’ll see you next time at the Retro Gaming Roundtable! Follow our exploits on Twitter, as well.

Hydrophobia is on sale this week for the great low price of 400 Microsoft points. After debuting for $15  as the lead title in Microsoft’s Game Feast promotion last Fall, Dark Energy Digital listened to fans and reviewers and made massive adjustments to their already decent game and relaunched for only 800 MSP in December. For only $5 (67% off the original price), Hydrophobia is a must buy for any gamer, especially since Microsoft is also hosting a sweepstakes this week with a “Water themed vacation for two” as the Grand Prize, and five runner up prizes of 4000 MSP.

The Deal of the Week also includes two other water themed Xbox Live Arcade Games: Aqua for 400MSP (50% off), and Hydro Thunder Hurricane for 800MSP (33% off).

Hopefully the “surprise” daily deals will be better as there’s nothing here for me. Anyone considering The UnderGarden at 400pts should take a look at the 2010 Dream.Build.Play Grand Prize winner Lumi as an alternative. Sadly, it looks like we may have seen the demise of the 53% discount-bracket on 1200pt games. Last year’s Holiday Sales and 2010 Deals of the Week saw several $15.00 Xbox Live Arcade games discounted to $7.00 (560pts). Over the last couple months, several items have come in on sale at a $7.50 price point (600pts). There is still a glimmer of hope for future sales however, with the Million-selling Trials HD briefly on sale for 400pts back in November, a discount of 67%.

From majornelson.com:

Here is a look at some of the upcoming content scheduled for the Xbox LIVE Marketplace*

Please see the blog post I’ll make for each of these for pricing and/or regional availability and follow me on Twitter for updates.

Celebrate the countdown to the New Year on Xbox LIVE.

Get ready for your New Year’s Celebration with great entertainment and daily special offers from Xbox LIVE. From December 21 through December 31, we’ll have a new Xbox LIVE Marketplace deal every day. I’ll be posting the daily deals here on my blog and on twitter. In addition to the surprise daily offers, we’ll host 10 unique offers (see below) that will be available for the duration of the campaign.

Here is a preview of the 10 deals and their discounted price that will be available December 21 – December 31

Super Meat Boy Discounted Price: 800 Savings: 33%

Comic Jumper Discounted Price: 800 Savings: 33%

Toy Soldiers Discounted Price: 800 Savings: 33%

Banjo Tooie Discounted Price: 600 Savings: 50%

Castle Crashers Discounted Price: 600 Savings: 50%

The UnderGarden Discounted Price: 400 Savings: 50%

Risk Factions Discounted Price: 400 Savings: 50%

Afterburner Climax Discounted Price: 400 Savings: 50%

Borderland’s Claptrap New Revolution Discounted Price: 400 Savings: 50%

Carcassonne Discounted Price: 400 Savings: 50%
The above discounted prices will kick-in on December 21st. (Yes, I’ll remind you)

Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week** :

Week of December 20 – Forza Car Packs:

World Class Car Pack, 200 Microsoft Points (50 percent off)

Summer Velocity Car Pack, 200 Microsoft Points (50 percent off)

Exotic Car Pack, 200 Microsoft Points (50 percent off)

Road & Track Car Pack, 200 Microsoft Points (50 percent off)

Audi R8 LMS RC Car, 160 Microsoft Points (50 percent off)

Checkered Flags, 80 Microsoft Points (50 percent off)
**Special pricing available for Xbox LIVE Gold Members

Xbox Games On Demand:

December 21: Red Dead Redemption

December 21: Prince of Persia The Forgotten Sands

December 28: Transformers: War for Cybertron

December 28: Just Cause 2

December 28: Ghostbusters

Xbox LIVE Avatar Marketplace:

December 15: Bomberman LIVE

December 15: Sonic the Hedgehog 4 Episode I

December 15: Winter Wear

December 23: Disney Sidekicks

December 23: University Collection (College Football Bowl Season)

December 23: Ninjas Collection

Xbox Game Add-Ons:

December 21: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam Expansion Pack, 1200 Microsoft Points

December 29: Bomberman Live: Battlefest Bomb-Up Pack I, 240 Microsoft Points

Xbox LIVE Arcade:

Starting December 22 through January 5, Microsoft Game Studios will introduce three new downloadable hits hits as part of Games for the Holidays, exclusively to Xbox LIVE Arcade and for gamers of every level :

December 22: A World of Keflings, 800 Microsoft Points and available worldwide

December 29: Raskulls, 800 Microsoft Points

January 5: ilomilo, 800 Microsoft Points

Plus, for Xbox LIVE Members in the US:

This Saturday, December 18, Lexus will sponsor the all-night gaming marathon for Halo: Reach on Xbox LIVE in the U.S., giving gamers the opportunity to download Lexus content and enter to win prizes for playing from dusk ‘til dawn. Every hour from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. PT, eight players will each win 4,000 Microsoft Points. Keep an eye on the Xbox 360 dashboard for more information.

*Current schedule. Subject to change. All content may not be available in all Xbox LIVE regions.

PM Studios mixes Bemani, Anime, Fan Service and Vinyl for the DJMax Portable 3 Limited Edition for Playstation Portable.

PM STUDIOS REVEALS THE SPECIAL BUNDLE EDITION
FOR ‘DJMAX PORTABLE 3’

Los Angeles, CA, September 17, 2010 – PM Studios, Inc., an innovative publisher of
video games for the mass market, today reveals the DJMAX Portable 3 Special Bundle
Edition. The Special Bundle Edition will be released on October 14, 2010 and will be
exclusive to Bemanistyle.com. The Special Edition will come with a special art book,
soundtrack, casing, and alternate coversheet. Due to the high request demand from the
previous press release, the SBE will now come with both coversheets and each copy will
be signed by the production/development team. The prize vouchers will also be included
inside the box and not the actual UMD case so you will not need to open the game to
receive your prize voucher.

To accommodate the Special Bundle Edition, the North American version will have a
special contest for all SBE purchasers. PM Studios will be throwing a contest with
random vouchers in all packages. The prizes will vary in each package.

Prizes:
Grand Prize (5) Winners: Technika Championship Card (Only 30 Made), Technika
Platinum Crew Card (Only 30 Made), Technika Limited Edition Panda Card, DJMAX
Portable Black Square Limited Edition, DJMAX Trilogy Limited Edition, DJMAX Fever,
DJMAX Black Square and Clazziquai Edition Combo Pack, Technika Limited Edition
Soundtrack, Technika 2 Limited Edition Soundtrack.

First Tier (300) Winners: Free PSN Version of DJMAX Fever.

Second Tier (100) Winners: Free PSN Version of Strikers 1945 Plus.

Third Tier (20) Winners: Free Technika Championship Card

Third Tier (20) Winners: Free Technika Platinum Crew Card

Fourth Tier (50) Winners: Random Technika Card

For more information on the SBE, please visit http://www.bemanistyle.com/djmp3/

For more information, please visit www.pm-games.com and contact customer service.

PM Studios, Inc. the Company

PM Studios, Inc. is a newly found publisher of video games for the mass market. Hot on
the trails of the newly released DJMAX Technika for the arcades, PM Studios continues
to bring innovative products into the market. PM Studios, Inc. is located and
headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

Redlynx realizes that you’ve made a snack out of last Christmas’s Trials HD Big Pack, and are serving up a full 40 course meal…

And by 40 course meal, I mean 40 new tracks handcrafted by Redlynx. You will also be able to gorge yourself on 10 delectable appetizers, in the form of 10 player-made, contest winning tracks which will be included in the Big Thrills DLC for everyone to play! Contest ends August 18th, 2010 and winners will be chosen on November 15th, 2010. Trials HD Big Thrills DLC is slated for a Q4 2010 release.

To enter, create an amazing track using Trials HD’s built-in track editor (the same editor that Redlynx used to create all the official levels), then send a friend request to one of the following Gamertags: TrialsContest1, TrialsContest2, TrialsContest3, or TrialsContest4 before August 18th, 2010. Act quickly as the contest is open only to the first 10,000 entrants.

Because You Demanded More Trials HD!
Trials HD – Big Thrills lets gamers put their tracks into the game – literally.

July 20, 2010 (Helsinki, Finland) — Gamers demanded it, and today RedLynx delivered, finally revealing Trials HD – Big Thrills, the hotly anticipated next expansion pack for its best-selling, award-winning Xbox LIVE Arcade game.

“Ever since we released the first Trials HD expansion, gamers have demanded more,” said Antti Ilvessuo, the game’s lead designer and creative director of RedLynx.

“They email us every day, they post on our message boards, and lately they’ve started calling my house and chasing me down the street,” he said. “With this announcement, I can now emerge from hiding and get back to making games.”

Forty new levels

With forty new professional tracks lovingly crafted by RedLynx’s level designers, the new expansion will bring a whole new world of obsessive challenge and bone-crushing gameplay to the game’s large and loyal fan base.

User-Created content

Unique with this release, RedLynx will also include ten user-created tracks, fully credited and featured right alongside the professional levels created by RedLynx. Everyone whose track is included will in addition receive cash or prizes, as well as in-game credit.

“We’re thrilled – no pun intended – to present this contest with our partners at Microsoft,” said Tero Virtala, CEO of RedLynx. “We couldn’t think of a better way to give back to our fans than to give them the opportunity to have their work featured right alongside ours in the next expansion of the legendary Trials HD game.”

Cash prizes

Gamers can visit BigThrillsContest.com to view the rules, the prizes, and the process for submitting a track for inclusion in the Trials HD – Big Thrills expansion pack.

Trials HD – Big Thrills is scheduled for a Q4 release.

About Trials HD

Trials HD for Xbox LIVE Arcade is a full-featured, physics-based motorcycle racing game with more than 50 tracks, amazing HD graphics, and dozens of hours of challenging gameplay. It offers two unique game modes, customizable riders, unlockable bikes, global rankings, in-game friend scores, and more. Trials HD has been named the best Nordic Game of 2010 among the Best Downloadable Game by the Xbox LIVE Community, among other awards.

About RedLynx

RedLynx Ltd. is a multiplatform game developer and publisher based in Helsinki, Finland. Since its founding in 2000, it has published more than 100 games on many platforms, including Xbox™ Live Arcade, Nintendo DS™, Sony PSP®, Apple iPhone®, Apple Macintosh®, PC, web, interactive TV, and mobile phones.

RedLynx and Trials HD are trademarks of RedLynx. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Visit BigThrillsContest.com for more information on this amazing opportunity.

Heres the deal we got a code for one copy of Snoopy Flying Ace for the Xbox Live Arcade. Simply Post a quote from the Peanuts tv show in the comments section and for an extra entry Re-Tweet this tweet http://twitter.com/LMGamers/status/15286763249. We will assign each entry a number and we will use random.org to pick a random number whatever number random.org picks is the winner. Please post your twitter account name in your comment and follow @LMGamers. You must post a comment here to win. The contest ends at 12:00 PM PST on Sat the 5th.

2K Sports Announces NBA® 2K10 All-Star Challenge Presented by Nike Basketball Featuring $10,000 Grand Prize

Grand prize winner to also design one of the colorways of Kobe Bryant’s signature shoe

December 23, 2009 – Virtual athletes ready to test their skills against the best players in the country can now sign up to participate in the NBA® 2K10 All-Star Challenge Presented by Nike Basketball. The All-Star Challenge, driven by 2K Sports, will be available exclusively on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft through the Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network. After the qualification period, and advancing through the online playoffs, two finalists will be flown to Dallas, Texas to compete in the championship tournament held during the 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend, February 12-14. The two finalists may bring a guest to the championships, and will also have special access to Nike VIP events in Dallas. The NBA All-Star Challenge champion will walk away with the incredible grand prize of $10,000, along with the exclusive opportunity to design one of the colorways for Kobe Bryant’s signature shoe, the Zoom Kobe V, through NIKEiD (subject to NBA approvals). The Zoom Kobe V that the winner designs will be worn by Kobe in an actual Los Angeles Lakers game, and the virtual version of the design will appear in next year’s NBA® 2K11. Interested participants can sign up and view the official rules starting today at http://www.2ksports.com/allstarchallenge.

After registering for the tournament, participants must qualify and check-in to participate in the online playoffs. During the qualification period, all ranked games played online will count towards an entrant’s qualification ranking. The leaderboard will track player rankings, which will be displayed and updated daily on the dedicated tournament website. The 60 tournament participants with the highest ranking, as determined by 2K Sports, who have checked-in and played at least 15 completed games during the qualification period, will advance to the online playoffs. For more information on rules and other details, please visit the dedicated tournament website at http://www.2ksports.com/allstarchallenge.

Following are the key dates for the NBA 2K10 All-Star Challenge Presented by Nike Basketball:

* 12/23/09 Registration & Qualification Period Open
* 1/16/10 Registration Ends (11:59 p.m. EST)
* 1/17/10 Qualification Ends & 24 Hour Check-In Period
* 1/23/10 Playoffs, Round 1 (10 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST)
* 1/24/10 Playoffs, Round 2 (10 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST)
* 1/30/10 Playoffs, Round 3 (10 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST)
* 1/31/10 Playoffs, Round 4 (9 a.m. EST start)
* 1/31/10 Playoffs, Round 5 (TBD, Based on Round 4 Winner Availability)
* 2/13/10 Championship Finals (Champion Crowned)

This season, NBA 2K10 delivers the most realistic, stylistic, and feature-rich simulation experience ever available in the NBA 2K franchise – from gameplay to graphics, presentation and online features. Developed by 2K Sports’ Visual Concepts studio, NBA 2K10 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and now available for Xbox 360, WiiTM, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and Windows PC. For more information about NBA 2K10, please visit www.2ksports.com/games/nba2k10.

cdv Software is going all out promoting their upcoming action-rpg, Divinity II: Ego Draconis, with no less than three different contests! Win Divinity II swag, themed controllers, speakers, even a wicked custom built PC! Read on for all the details….

cdv Announces the Divinity II – Ego Draconis “Game Demo Treasure Hunt” Contest!

Download the Divinity II demo and begin your quest for treasure!

Cary, North Carolina – December 22, 2009 – cdv Software Entertainment USA is pleased to announce its Divinity II – Ego Draconis “Game Demo Treasure Hunt” contest! Track down secret clues hidden inside the game’s demo and follow their trail around the web in a quest for real-world treasure and loot!

The Divinity II – Ego Draconis Demo is currently available on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and for Windows PC.

After playing through the demo, visit www.honorofrivellon.com and use the clues and tips to enter to win incredible prizes, including a Divinity II – Ego Draconis-themed Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft console, themed controllers, controller skins, game cards, in-game items and more!

The sequel to the critically acclaimed action-RPG Divine Divinity, Divinity II – Ego Draconis transports players back to the wide-open, war-torn world of Rivellon where they will battle the forces of evil not just as a human warrior but also as a powerful Dragon Knight! Developed by Larian Studios, Divinity II – Ego Draconis boasts a robust fantasy adventure with more than 60 hours of gameplay teeming with massive dungeons and outdoor spaces to explore. It offers deep on-the-ground and aerial combat, and a mystery to unravel that could reveal hidden truths and revive forgotten evils, altering the face of Rivellon forever!

**To Download the Divinity II – Ego Draconis demo, please visit Big Download/Game Daily, File Front, Game Zone, Spawnpoint, Strategy Informer, Atomic gamer, GameSpot, Softpedia, Worth Playing, eXp and Gamershell, or Xbox LIVE Marketplace for Xbox 360**

For more information about Divinity II – Ego Draconis, which is rated “M” for “Mature” by the ESRB, please visit http://www.cdvus.com or http://www.divinity2.com.

Be sure to check out all of the Divinity II – Ego Draconis contests and pre-order incentives below!

GAMESTOP Xbox 360 Pre-Order Bonus:

Players who pre-order Divinity II – Ego Draconis for Xbox 360 from GameStop will receive the exclusive in-game Blood Echelon Armor and Weapon Set while supplies last. The Blood Echelon is a select lodge of elite Dragon Slayers who have earned the highest of distinctions on the battlefield. The pre-order program is available now through January 5, 2010.

**Please note that this program applies only to pre-orders of Divinity II – Ego Draconis for Xbox 360 **

Please visit your local GameStop for more information and incentive details, or check online at: http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=75982.

Divinity II – Ego Draconis Game Feature Challenge:

Master the ways of the Dragon Slayer for your chance to win awesome Divinity II – Ego Draconis prizes! Three rounds of questions will be presented to aspiring Dragon Slayers, beginning on, December 3, 2009. Dragon Slayers who answer all the questions correctly will be given a chance to receive a variety of great Divinity II – Ego Draconis prizes, including themed controllers, controller skins, in-game bonuses and more! For more information about the contest, and its rules, please visit – www.honorofrivellon.com

Divinity II – Ego Draconis Epic PC Sweepstakes:

Be sure to enter the Divinity II – Ego Draconis Epic PC Sweepstakes! Divinity II – Ego Draconis fans can now register to win epic loot by visiting www.honorofrivellon.com. The Grand Prize includes a Custom Divinity II – Ego Draconis Gaming PC, a NEC High Resolution LCD Desktop Display and an assortment of Divinity II – Ego Draconis themed gear. Other prizes include desktop speakers, a Logitech keyboard and mouse and Divinity II – Ego Draconis mousepads and PC skins. Visit www.honorofrivellon.com for more details and to enter to win!

cdv USA’s Divinity II – Ego Draconis “Game Feature Challenge” Contest Continues!

Master the character development of the Dragon Slayer and compete for your chance to win!

Cary, North Carolina – December 16, 2009 – cdv Software Entertainment USA is pleased to announce the second round of its Divinity II – Ego Draconis Game Feature Challenge! The ways of the Dragon Slayer are built upon combat, magic and mindreading and how you develop your character will largely determine your mighty victory or bitter defeat during your journey through Rivellon.

In this, the second round of the Divinity II – Ego DraconisGame Feature Challenge, master the Character Development of your Dragon Slayer by visiting www.honorofrivellon.com where aspiring Dragon Slayers will learn the secrets of Creature Creation, Mindreading, Attributes, Leveling Up and the Damage System, all to compete for a chance to win a variety of Divinity II – Ego Draconis-themed prizes, including themed controllers, controller skins, in-game bonuses and more!

The Game Feature Challenge comes on heels of the recently launched Divinity II – Ego DraconisEpic PC Sweepstakes, which gives fans the chance to win epic loot, including a Custom Divinity II – Ego Draconis Gaming PC and a High-Resolution LCD Desktop Display. Visit www.honorofrivellon.com for a full list of prizes, more details and to enter to win!

Don’t forget about the Divinity II – Ego Draconis GAMESTOP 360 Pre-Order Bonus: Players who pre-order Divinity II – Ego Draconis for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft from GameStop will receive the exclusive in-game Blood Echelon Armor and Weapon Set while supplies last. The Blood Echelon is a select lodge of elite Dragon Slayers who have earned the highest of distinctions on the battlefield. The pre-order program is available now through January 5, 2010.

**Please note that this program applies only to pre-orders of Divinity II – Ego Draconis for Xbox 360 **

Please visit your local GameStop for more information and incentive details, or check online at: http://www.gamestop.com/Catalog/ProductDetails.aspx?product_id=75982.

The sequel to the critically acclaimed action-RPG Divine Divinity, Divinity II – Ego Draconis transports players back to the wide-open, war-torn world of Rivellon where they will battle the forces of evil not just as a human warrior, but also as a powerful Dragon Knight! Developed by Larian Studios, Divinity II– Ego Draconis boasts a robust fantasy adventure of more than 60 hours, teeming with massive dungeons and outdoor spaces to explore. It offers deep on-the-ground and aerial combat, and an intriguing mystery to unravel that could reveal hidden truths and revive forgotten evils, altering the face of Rivellon forever!

For more information about Divinity II – Ego Draconis, which is rated “M” for “Mature” by the ESRB, please visit www.cdvus.com or www.divinity2.com.

Loudmouthedgamers are happy to announce our 1st game night.  We are celebrating the release of Modern Warfare 2 with a night filled with multiplayer mayhem.

LMG Game Night

The Game: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2

The place: Your Xbox 360

The time:  7 pm PST(10 EST) on Nov 21st

If you sign up and play atleast 2 full games you will be entered into a pool to win some prizes. 

These Include: A Copy Assassins Creed 2 for the Xbox 360, A Splosion Man T-Shirt (Size XL), (2) 1600 MS points and maybe some suprizes.

Simply log into the forums(or signup) and reply to this thread make sure to add your Gamertag.