arkham city

The 404 1,071: Where we say goodbye to Hollywood (podcast)

We'll wait until tomorrow to go over all the Apple announcements from WWDC, so today's show is all about Jeff's return to the East Coast and his E3 wrap-up. Jeff and Scott Stein agree that the show lacked the hardware announcements everyone expected, with Nintendo playing serious catch-up with the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Jeff and I then envision a potential future without E3 or maybe even a move to New York, where my co-host wouldn't be forced to play next-gen hockey games as the LA Kings.

Moving on, we'll talk about Microsoft registering … Read more

Here's what Batman: Arkham City on Wii U plays like

LOS ANGELES--Two Wii U games stole the show at the Nintendo press conference on Tuesday, Ubisoft's ZombiU and Warner Bros. Interactive's Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition. I was able to sneak in some time with the latter on Wednesday and found out what exactly "Armored Edition" means.

To be clear, the Wii U version of Arkham City is mostly the same game you've played on the other consoles. Sure, all the DLC available up until now is packed in, but those looking for a separate experience different than Rocksteady's epic won't find it. … Read more

The 404 1,024: Where winter comes a little late this year (podcast)

We're believers: WINTER IS COMING. Technically I guess it arrived a year ago, but Jeff and I are finally catching up to the "Game of Thrones" hype and spend the first few minutes of today's episode discussing the George R. R. Martin books and the anachronisms of the show.

The reviews are in for Microsoft Kinect Star Wars and nobody is impressed with the glitchy gameplay and a story that seems to appeal more to kids than fans of the original movies. With years of anticipation in the making, Jeff echoes the fans in the galaxy … Read more

The 404 994: Where we need to talk (podcast)

Leaked from 404 Podcast 994:

Apple asks bankruptcy court for OK to sue Kodak for infringement. Leaning back from your PC screen can help you decide when shopping online. Street Fighter vs. Mortal Kombat might actually happen. Call of Duty: Black Ops has the best game ending of all time, Guinness World Records says. Bathroom break video 1: I'll call you right back. Bathroom break video 1: Even dogs cry to Adele.

… Read more

Hands-on: OnLive comes to iPad and other tablets

Streaming game service OnLive is coming to iPad, iPhone, Android tablets, and even the Kindle Fire, thanks in part to a new universal wireless controller.

Previously, the service was available on PCs (Windows and OS X), as well as TVs, via a standalone interface called the MicroConsole (there was also an iPad app that allowed you to watch games being played on the service, but not play them yourself). The new wireless controller, an updated version of the previous PC/MicroConsole OnLive wireless controller, uses Bluetooth to connect to iOS and Android devices, working hand-in-hand with a dedicated OnLive app for each platform.

If you're not familiar with the OnLive streaming game service, it's essentially cloud-based PC gaming. The original PC client allows nearly any laptop or desktop to play high-end PC games by offloading the CPU- and GPU-intensive tasks of actually running the game software to a remote render farm, then beaming the gameplay back to you as a streaming video.

The game library mixes a handful of new, hit games with some older, casual, and indie games, and most of the 200-odd titles will be playable on Android tablets, the iPad, and even smartphones. Some of these devices, such as the Kindle Fire, can play only a smaller subset of games via onscreen controls, as they currently lack any way to connect the wireless controller (and the Nook Tablet is not supported yet). OnLive will also work over AT&T and Verizon 4G LTE networks, on devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom, and HTC Jetstream.… Read more

The 404 945: Where wow, you guys are a lot taller than I thought you were (podcast)

Big thanks to everyone who came through last night's 404 Meet-up at the CNET Gotham holiday gift guide. Friendships were made, business ideas launched, and plenty of stickers were given; it was one of our most productive meet-ups to date!

We'll wrap up last night's event and show a quick interview segment on today's show, then launch into the headlining news of the day: Logitech has announced that it made a huge mistake with its Revue Google TV set-top box, and the company has no plans to upgrade or reinvent the existing hardware. Tune in to find out your other options for streaming Web content to your TV.

We'll also chat about near-field communication (NFC) chips making their way to luxury goods like Louis Vuitton wallets, Prada bags, and Nike sneakers to battle bootlegers, a six-year project to tweet the events of the second World War, and Jeff gives us his quick-take of "Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword."

We've been talking about games like Battlefield 3, Batman: Arkham City, and Uncharted 3 a lot on the show, and Blockbuster just gave us two copies of each game to give away in conjunction with Blockbuster's promo running through Nov. 22 where if you buy a copy of the game in-store you receive a free month of unlimited game and movie rentals!

We have PS3 and Xbox 360 copies for Battlefield 3 and Batman: Arkham City and two copies of Uncharted 3 for PS3 to give away. Here's how to enter:

Follow The 404, Justin, Wilson, and Jeff on Twitter. Tweet out a message that includes #GimmeFreeGames and @The404.

And that's it! Just remember that you need to be a U.S. resident to be eligible and the contest ends November 22. We'll select the winners at random, so good luck!

Stream or download today's show after the break!… Read more

Batman: Arkham City turns Hollywood into Gotham

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--To celebrate today's release of the eagerly awaited Batman: Arkham City, Rocksteady Studios and Warner Brothers Interactive last night transformed the GameStop store on the outer fringes of Hollywood into a mini Gotham City where bleary eyed fans could snag a late-night copy of the PS3 and Xbox 360 title.

About 200 fans of varying ages (some in event-appropriate costumed attire) waited patiently outside the store until the doors opened and the store welcomed them into a mock-up of the game's seedy urban world. Those in attendance had a chance to meet game writer Paul Dini, and they could win prizes (such as two life-size Batman statues on display). … Read more

preGame 61: Batman: Arkham City, Sonic Generations

Today on preGame we venture into the dark and ominous world of Batman: Arkham City. It'll be tough following up one of 2009's games of the year, but from what we've been able to play, we think the team at Rocksteady Studios nailed it.

Next, we'll be showing off an incredible amount of gameplay we were recently treated to for the upcoming game Sonic Generations. In this veritable Sonic all-star game, players can play as "new" and "old" Sonic in a collection of 2D and 3D levels. We've got Sega's Aaron Webber in the studio to explain the process involved in creating such an epic Sonic experience for fans new and old.

Got an idea for preGame? E-mail us! pregame [at] cnet [dot] com.

Be sure to subscribe to the show: RSS (video) | iTunes (video)… Read more

Locked up with Batman: Arkham City

Following up one of 2009's best games is no easy task. Batman: Arkham Asylum not only provided an addictive and compelling third-person action-adventure title, but it completely redefined superhero games. There was really no debating at the time: the team at Rocksteady Studios had made the best Batman--and perhaps the best comic-book-inspired game ever.

We've strapped on the Dark Knight's boots for another tour through Gotham's worst and lived to tell the tale. … Read more