VideoGames

Gamers, here is your chance to win a How To Train Your Dragon video game and a gaming system! Starting today (Friday, March 19) visit the official website at www.HowToTrainYourDragonGame.com to enter the contest. A new winner will be chosen each day from now until April 7th, so be sure and enter daily! Winners will be able to choose between a Wii Game System with the Wii version of How To Train Your Dragon and a Nintendo DSI and DS version of the game.

How To Train Your Dragon launches gamers into a third-person action-adventure as a Viking hero where they must embark upon an epic quest to become the ultimate dragon trainer. Gamers can play as characters "Hiccup" or "Astrid" on the vast Island of Berk, which features expanded locales from the film including Vikings' Village, Wild Zone, Training Zone and Fight Arena. In this truly larger-than-life adventure, players will train dragons, explore environments and battle in prestigious dragon tournaments as they battle for Viking victory. Plus, gamers can become the Dragon hero of their living room as they square-off with friends and family in endless head-to-head multi-player combat!Read more

At the Game Developers Conference this week Sony announced a new controller for the PS3, the PlayStation Move motion controller. Available in fall 2010, the "Move" works with a combination of the existing PlayStation Eye camera and motion controller. A PlayStation Move sub-controller will be launched at the same time (just think "Nunchuk").

The motion controller is wireless and comes with a built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery and Bluetooth technology.

The PlayStation Move will be available this fall. Exact pricing hasn't been announced, but a starter bundle which includes the PS Eye, a controller, and one game will retail for under $100. It is also expected to be available standalone, as well as in a bundle with a PS3.

Game publishers such as Activision Blizzard Inc., Electronic Arts Inc. and Square Enix are currently have Move-compatible games in the works.

Sony announced this week that its PlayStation Network video delivery service is now offering HD movies for rent or purchase from all of the major movie studios, including 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

PlayStation 3 owners that have their device connected to the Internet can now rent or buy the following movies:

• 20th Century Fox – "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian", "Jennifer's Body" and "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (on March 23)
• Walt Disney Pictures – Disney Pixar's "Up", Jerry Bruckheimer's "G-Force" and Disney's "Earth"
• Paramount Pictures – "Star Trek", "Paranormal Activity" and "Zoolander"
• Sony Pictures – "This Is It", "2012", "District 9" and "Zombieland"
• Universal – "Inglourious Basterds", "Couples Retreat" and "Public Enemies"
• Warner Bros. Digital Distribution - "The Hangover", "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" and "The Wizard of Oz"

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Turtle Beach has a new headset for Xbox 360 and PC gamers, the Ear Force X11. With improved sound over the Ear Force X1 and an ergonomic design, it is even better for playing games such as Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, HALO 3, Assassin's Creed II, and Guitar Hero.

The X11 sports a black and white design and has larger, deep-cushioned ear cups and a cushioned headband. It also has an adjustable boom mic and an extra-long 16-foot cable.

Features include:

• Independent volume controls for game and voice signals to balance XBOX LIVE chat and stereo game sound.
• Large, acoustically-tuned ear cups with 40mm drivers produce superior audio with deep bass
• Integrated bass-boost makes explosions, gun shots and other deep-bass effects more dramatic by increasing the impact of low frequency sound cues.
• DC-coupled amplifiers provide super-wide bandwidth down to 0Hz while eliminating the distortion
• A microphone with an oversized, flexible boom accurately reproduces the gamer's voice during chat sessions.
• A microphone monitor keeps gamers from raising their voices louder than necessary and avoids the "under water" feeling that results when you can’t hear yourself speak.

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System: PS3
MSRP: $59.99
Release Date: February 8th, 2010

Has the PS3 port of a 1-year-old Xbox 360 game become better or worse?

Graphics

The graphics in Star Ocean The Last Hope: International (SOtLHI) are beautiful. The characters and creatures are drawn well, the cut-scenes are excellent, and the environments are nice, too. The attacks that you and your partners can pull off are flashy and vibrant. Considering all that can go on during a fight, there were no graphical issues such as tearing or slow down. However, I do want to point out that there have been reports of other people experiencing issues such as freezing and crashing.Read more

The much anticipated Final Fantasy XIII hits stores this Spring. For you die hard fans, Microsoft and Square Enix have teamed up to offer a Final Fantasy XIII Special Edition Xbox 360 Bundle. The bundle includes a 250GB Hard Drive engraved with the FINAL FANTASY XIII name, two Wireless Controllers, exclusive downloadable avatar items and a standard edition copy of FINAL FANTASY XIII.

Also, Square Enix's character designer, Tetsuya Nomura, has created a FINAL FANTASY XIII Limited Edition Faceplate that will be available in limited numbers.

The FINAL FANTASY XIII Special Edition Bundle is available for pre-order now and in-stores beginning March 9, 2010, while supplies last.

For more information on FINAL FANTASY XIII visit http://finalfantasyxiii.com.

System: Wii
MSRP: $50.00
Release Date: December 26th, 2009

Is Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (FFCC:TCB) a unique addition to the never ending Final Fantasy/Crystal Chronicles series or is it a one-trick pony?

Graphics

FFCC:TCB is a beautiful game! It would be extremely difficult to find a Wii exclusive that looks just as good, if not better, than this game. The towns and characters are drawn very well and the somewhat lively environments are detailed nicely, too. After playing the game for awhile, you will probably forget that you are playing a Wii game.Read more

Nintendo just announced that Netflix members who own a Wii will soon be able to watch movies and TV episodes streamed from Netflix directly to their TVs. There will be no additional cost to Netflix members who have a plan starting at $8.99 a month, a Wii console and a broadband Internet connection.

To enable the Wii to stream Netflix content, a Netflix instant-streaming disc for the Wii console is needed, which will be available free to Netflix subscribers. Reserve the disc by going to www.netflix.com/Wii. The discs will be mailed when available in the spring. Read more

Have you completed all of your holiday shopping? If you have a gamer in the family, keep your eye out for some hot titles coming from Nintendo in early 2010. In addition, on February 14th, Nintendo will release two new colors for its Wii Remote controller – pink and blue (black and white will still be available). The new controllers will come bundled with a Wii MotionPlus accessory.

On the Wii, Endless Ocean: Blue World hits store shelves on Feb. 22. It is an adventurous and educational game complete with underwater exploration, an adventurous storyline and Wii Speak compatibility. This January also sees the release of Tatsunoko VS. Capcom: Ultimate All-Stars. Available exclusively on Wii, this new VS. series fighting game features global online game play for those with a broadband Internet connection. Read more

Are you looking to buy a new gaming system? Consider the Xbox 360. Not only is it a video game console, it is a full entertainment device with access to Netflix, Facebook, Twitter and last.fm. Xbox even has a special holiday bundle with the Xbox 360 Elite and two free games - LEGO Batman: The Videogame and Pure, an off-road racing game. Want to see everything you can do with your Xbox 360? Read on…Read more