Just like in the old days, the Dungeon Master’s guide is a bit more expensive at $45 (it was $15 when it was released in 1979), with the others at $35 (original price was $12).

This is really a suprising move. WoTC enraged many longtime fans when they banned sales of PDFs of many of their old products a few years ago, presumably so that their “old” rules for D&D wouldn’t interfere with the new. Online piracy being what it is, this didn’t really hurt gamers that wanted the old stuff, so it was just horrible public relations.

The books will only be released at local game and hobby shops in North America, which is a bit of a shame, as a portion of the proceeds will go to the Gygax Memorial Fund. I’ve already donated but I’ll be donating again when I buy at least one of these books (my own Guide is well worn from 30 years of fun).

The best of the lot is the Dungeon Master’s Guide, which is chock full of great ideas from Gary Gygax himself on how to run and play a fantasy role playing game. The Player’s Handbook is more of a historical curiosity–whole player classes are described in a page or so, a big difference from the most recent D&D rules, where a class description might take up 30 pages or more. The Monster Manual is probably the least useful, and was only really noted for its “not so good” cover artwork (pictured, and yes, that really is supposed to be a flying red dragon). The reprints will have different covers.

An unusual fact about these books is that the Monster Manual was released more than a year ahead of the others, because Gygax thought that having monsters to fight was what players needed the most (over having character classes, no less, or even rules for combat).

Read [Wizards] Also Read [The RPG Site]

Very likely due to restrictions placed on it by the National Football League, EA removed one of the most enjoyable parts of the game: late hits. The original allowed you to plaster opposing players after the whistle blew. The game didn’t have injuries, so there was no tangible reward from doing it. That wasn’t the point, however. Knocking the opponent out of bounds blew off steam if you were losing, or rubbed salt in the wound if you were winning.

Even worse, the time frame in between plays that would have allowed you to do late hits still exists. New players won’t notice. For those of us raised on the first NFL Blitz, the pregnant pause taunts our muscle memory. It makes me want to drag out an N64 and play that version, which I’m guessing is not the reaction EA was going for.

EA Sports takes a fair amount of bashing for its sports game efforts, and sometimes the publisher earns it. In this case, I’m sure their hands were tied by the “No Fun League.”  The game’s leadership has gotten so paranoid about injuries it’s on the verge of banning tackling with recent rule changes.

The arcade effort’s touchdown celebrations are now much more tame as well. I understand the NFL wants to maintain its professional image but Blitz is not supposed to be wired that way. It’s a world in which a player who’s doing well can quite literally catch on fire. It’s a world in which the San Francisco 49′ers can line up against a team of zombies. But, thanks to interference from the NFL marketing machine, it’s a world in which a player breakdancing is just too extreme to be tolerated.

NFL image police also ended EA’s NFL Street series, an arcadey take on football with aerial moves. The games were just coming into their own, but the “street football” concept was too edgy for the NFL.  It got sanitized into NFL Tour, a game so bland most that played it only did so for easy Xbox achievements. The league’s license has proven mandatory to sell a football sim, but it’s slowly choking the life out of arcade efforts. If Commissioner Roger Goodell is going to have final approval on tackle animations in Blitz, perhaps EA should revive Mutant League Football instead.

Read [Gamertell]

Even though Doctor Who‘s fanbase in other countries is steadily growing, the Doctor Who video games have typically been a British thing. That’s starting to change now, what with the release of the Doctor Who: The Adventure Games series and some other forthcoming games. So it’s worth knowing what the series is about and if it could be something that would interest you.

Doctor Who?

The star of Doctor Who is an alien known as the Doctor. He’s an alien from the planet Gallifrey. During the Last Great Time War, which pitted the Time Lords against the Daleks, the Doctor stole a TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) and found a way to end this war that could possibly destroy the universe. At the same time, it (supposedly) wiped out the Daleks and Time Lords, leaving the Doctor as the last survivor. As a Time Lord, the Doctor is capable of regenerating after death, which makes it really easy to replace the lead actor when necessary.

The show first began its run in 1963, and then went through seven different doctors until its run ended in 1989. Shortly after, there was a movie with an eighth doctor in 1996. In 2005, the series was rebooted with Christopher Eccleston appearing as the ninth Doctor. Since then, David Tennant and Matt Smith have respectively played the tenth and eleventh Doctors.

The TARDIS is a ship capable of traveling through both time and space. The Doctor is quite fond of Earth and humans though, so he’s there quite often. Also, his fondness for humans means he usually travels with one or two human companions. The party then goes around the universe, exploring. Of course, most adventures aren’t quite peaceful as the TARDIS has a tendency to occasionally drop them off in the wrong time or location and the Doctor has a way of getting involved in situations where people or aliens are being persecuted or attacked by unknown forces.

The Doctor gets into games

Now, the first thing you need to know about Doctor Who-inspired games is that they’re usually bad. And I’m not talking, “So bad they’re good” bad. I mean really, absolutely absymal. Which is pretty sad, really, considering how good the show is. Fortunately, some of the more recent games have taken towards rebuilding the Doctor Who video game reputation. They have a lot of work ahead of them though. especially when you consider how ridiculous some of the older games were.

Most of the first Doctor Who games appeared before 1997, and starred Doctors from the original series. Some of the earliest games from the 80′s are difficult to find information about simply because of their age. The first game ever was Doctor Who: The First Adventure for the BBC Micro in 1993. It was a rather unspectacular mini-game collection with four episodes, each offering a different kind of game (based on other arcade games) to complete. Doctor Who and the Warlord came next in 1985, also on the BBC Micro, and was a text-based adventure game. After that was Doctor Who and the Mines of Terror for the a BBC Micro, Commodore 64 and Amstrad CPC. It featured an extremely fragile Doctor character who could die really easily as he wandered around some cavernous mines. Think of it as being similar to Castlevania, but a lot less interesting. Doctor Who: Dalek Attack was next in 1992, and was a 2D action game like the previous title. This Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum and MS-DOS game was also not well received.

In fact, it wasn’t really until Doctor Who: Destiny of the Doctors that the Doctor Who games really started getting good. In this Windows game, which blended action, puzzle and adventure elements, players had to help the first seven incarnations of the Doctor defeat the Master. All seven versions of the Doctor have been captured and placed in the Determinant, which the Master created after taking control of Siralos. Players are the Graak, a creature created by the Doctor before he was captured, who has to use the sonic screwdriver to get past aliens and free the Doctors. It was notable for all the voice acting, most of which from the original actors who played the Doctor, as well has having newly recorded video for the game and a huge database with information on all things Doctor Who.

Unfortunately, when Doctor Who games started appearing again after 2008, they weren’t all that good again. The first offender was easily Top Trumps: Doctor Who, a Doctor Who-themed game where players played the card game Top Trumps. Sadly, this atrocity was spread across the PS2, DS and Wii. It only got worse though. In 2010 Doctor Who: Return to Earth was released on the Wii and dubbed an instant failure due to a horrible camera, terrible graphics and not being fun in any way possible. It was an adventure to absolutely miss. At the same time, Doctor Who: Evacuation Earth was released for the DS. It was a designed to play in a manner similar to the Professor Layton games, only its puzzles were insultingly easy and it was both bland and formulaic. As someone who’s actually played both the DS game, I can wholeheartedly say it’s an insult to any fan of the series over the age of seven.

However, there was a slight sign of hope despite the initial fumbling of new Doctor Who games. The iOS entry, dubbed Doctor Who: The Mazes of Time, actually had its moments. The controls were terrible, but it had an interesting story involving the 11th Doctor and Amy Pond going to rescue a family and then stopping Daleks, lots of puzzles and eventually extra level updates with new adventures. Even better was the Doctor Who: The Adventure Games (Windows, Mac) series. It is a point-and-click adventure game following the 11th Doctor and Amy as they go through various adventures in time against new and familiar enemies. The first series had four episodes to playthrough and, best of all, anyone who lived in Europe could download them for free. If you live outside of Europe, you actually have to pay for the episodes.

Surprisingly, the future of Doctor Who video games looks promising. Series 2 of Doctor Who: The Adventure Games has just begun, with one episode released so far. There’s also a free-to-play MMORPG for Windows and Mac coming out in 2012 called Doctor Who: Worlds in Time that will allow people to create a custom avatar who will work together as companions of the Doctor to save the universe. The most intriguing prospect of all may end up being Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock though, as it will be a PS3, Vita and Windows adventure. In it, Doctor Who and River Song will have to save Earth by traveling through time, and their actions in various time periods will influence other areas of the game.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables samples and suggests awesome Japanese beverages to try.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables talked about the first four Phantasy Star games.

Site [AmiAmi] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Before we start getting into major 2012 releases, like Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3, Xbox 360), Mass Effect 3 (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows) and Borderlands 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows), let’s wax nostalgic about some of the games we played last year that brought joy into our lives. Gamertell’s picked out 10 of our favorite multiplatform games to remember. Perhaps they were games you loved as well!

• 10. Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 (3DS, DS, PS3, PSP, Wii, Xbox 360): The various Lego video game retellings are iconic and Lego Harry Potter is among the best. It’s no wonder that Lego Harry Potter: Years 5-7, with new spells, areas, characters and tasks, is deserving of praise. It successfully recreates the Harry Potter experience in a jovial and blocky manner. The only downsides were that many unlockable characters were either variations of existing characters or minor characters people don’t care about and that the levels can get tedious.

• 9. Assassin’s Creed: Revelations (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows): Each entry in the Assassin’s Creed series improves upon the last, and Revelations is no exception. Though the improvements and advancements are relatively minor in this entry and the new hideout defense elements could get tedious, it’s overall a solid effort and the multiplayer is still fun. It also ties up most of Altair and Ezio’s lose ends and builds a foundation for the next entry.

• 8. Saints Row: The Third (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows): If you’re looking for a good sandbox game in a modern setting, Saints Row: The Third is it. Like the previous entries, it focuses on the Saints gang, only this time they’re hugely popular and a media entity facing off against the Syndicate to take control of the city of Steelport. Co-op returns, as well as lots of customization options and side missions. It’s just a good way to enjoy yourself in an open environment.

• 7. Sonic Generations (3DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Windows): Sonic Generations proved that Sega could create a Sonic the Hedgehog game that was both true to its roots and yet also modern. It looks fantastic, it plays well and the ability to go through updated original stages or reimaginings of classic stages as classic and modern Sonic is a nice touch. Not to mention the challenge modes and trials offer a bit of replay value.

• 6. Rayman Origins (PS3, Wii, Xbox 360, eventually 3DS): Rayman Origins is the platformer everyone should be playing. It’s filled with personality, not to mention gorgeously rendered and animated characters. It’s fun to play alone or cooperatively with friends and the various hidden areas in each level provide plenty of incentive to keep coming back. Not to mention there’s an surprisingly little twist in the story!

• 5. Deus Ex: Human Revolution (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows): Even though Square Enix has delivered a few bombs recently, Deus Ex: Human Revolution wasn’t one of them. Instead, it was a third-person adventure where players were able to customize their gaming experience as Adam Jensen, a recently modified security specialist who is trying to find out who killed the scientists he was protecting for Sarif Industries. Players can choose how to proceed in many situations, though most boss fights still require brawn instead of brains. It’s also quite notable since it bought the Deus Ex series back into our lives.

• 4. Catherine (PS3, Xbox 360): Atlus’ Catherine was a pleasant surprise and perfect combination of visual novel and block puzzle. After cheating on his girlfriend Katherine with a girl named Catherine, Vincent starts having nightmares about block towers. If he falls in the dream, he dies in real life. You have to choose how he responds to people during the day to determine which ending you get, and then survive each night so Vincent can live to see the end. The only downside is, there’s only local multiplayer. Still, it’s an awesome adventure. Just be careful – if you play too much you’ll start seeing blocks and that “Love is Over” screen in your dreams!

• 3. Batman: Arkham City (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows): Batman: Arkham City took everything people loved about Batman: Arkham Asylum and both improved upon it and doubled it. There were larger areas to explore, more gadgets for Batman to use, playable Catwoman and Robin, more enemies, more collectibles and just plain more of everything. Plus, there are both main missions and side-missions. Even if you aren’t a Batman fan, you have to appreciate just how much there is for players to do in Batman: Arkham City.

• 2. Portal 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows, Mac): Portal 2 was undoubtedly many people’s gaming darling this year and is a case where the sequel was better than the original. The story was longer, the writing better, the puzzles more challenging plus there was an additional, cooperative multiplayer campaign. So players finally found out the truth about GlaDOS and Aperture Science and found another way for testing to continue.The fact that we’re gradually getting free DLC updates is quite a boon as well.

• 1. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (PS3, Xbox 360, Windows): Skyrim is naturally our top pick, as if there could be any doubt about what 2011′s best game was. It’s an absolutely fantastic RPG that gives players the ultimate control over their character, allowing him or her to create an avatar capable of practically anything and able to do whatever he or she desires. While the “main” story is less than 10 hours long, there are an extraordinary number of sidequests and errands for players to run all around the region. It’s just extraordinary. Now, let’s just hope Bethesda eventually issues a patch for the PS3 version that fixes the game-breaking lag!

So, were there any multiplatform games that you felt deserved some accolades? Let us know what they are and your reasons for considering them among the best of 2011 in the comments!

This means that there actually weren’t enough great games released for each system to merit putting together separate top 10 of 2011 lists for each one. However, if you combine all the 3DS, DS and PSP released from the past year, you’ll find there were some incredible gems worth heralding.

Besides, it’s quality, not quantity, that’s important!

So let’s go ahead and look at Gamertell’s top 10 3DS, DS and PSP games for 2011!

• 10: Freakyforms: Your Creations, Alive! (3DS): Oh Freakyforms, it was you that melted my jaded heart and gave me hope that the 3DS eShop wouldn’t repeat the mistakes of the Wii Shop Channel and DSi shop. This quirky game allows players to create characters from various shapes and parts, bring it to life and then watch it explore a 2D world that you also customize. Granted, the world exploration gets old fast, but making characters is always magical.
• 9: Professor Layton and the Last Specter (DS): You can always count on a Professor Layton for a good time. (He knows how to treat a lady! Or man. Whatever.) The Last Specter continues the series’ excellent track record with yet another interesting mystery to solve and tons of puzzles. I’d have to say the best part is the bonus RPG London Life, which could have been released as a game on its own. You definitely get your money’s worth with this title.

• 8: Patapon 3 (PSP): It’s a shame, really. With the PSP’s decline, Patapon 3‘s release came and went with little fanfare. Which is really a shame, since it’s probably the most solid entry in the series. Once again, players must use the drums as the Uberhero, a Hero Patapon fused with the Almighty, and must restore the Patapon tribe and continue to fight the new enemies (Bonedeth) and continue exploring. Most notable is the inclusion of multiplayer, which can be played over both local adhoc and online over WiFi.
• 7: Dissidia 012: Final Fantasy (PSP): The original Dissidia was a surprise, because it was a Final Fantasy fighting game mashup that actually worked. The story was a little out there, but it played well and looked great on the PSP. Not to mention it had some great systems in place to get people playing every day. Dissidia 012 is the same way, only with a longer story, more character options, more equipment and more gameplay modes. Besides, you get both the original Dissidia included on the disc!
• 6: Radiant Historia (DS): Radiant Historia is a really innovative game, and one that fans of Chrono Trigger should definitely check out. A soldier is given a book that allows him to move forward and backward in time, as well as switch between two parallel timelines. Depending on his choices, the timeline is changed, resulting in multiple endings. It also has a battle system that is turn-based, but also has some strategic elements since you have to push and pull enemies around the field to do the most damage. It looks great, plays well and has tons of replay value.

• 5: Pokemon Black/White (DS): Pokemon Black or White are must-buys because the games successfully made the Pokemon games feel fresh again. Think of it as Pokemon Red and Blue all over again. Only this time, there are 3D graphics, hundreds of pokemon, two on two battles, rivals who are actually friends and a larger world to explore. Not to mention, there’s still plenty of online elements to enjoy.
• 4: Super Mario 3D Land (3DS): Despite protests from PETA, Super Mario 3D Land is yet another fantastic Mario adventure that mixes elements of Super Mario 64 and the original NES games. Mario again is saving Princess Peach, going through all kinds of 3D levels to reach her. The Tanooki tail makes a triumphant return, and even monsters have it now! It also has the honor of being one of the few 3DS games that really makes fantastic use of the 3D effects.
• 3: The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (PSP): If you’ve been looking for a massive RPG, The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is it. It is so incredible that I almost considered making it my number one portable pick for the year! While the story starts out a bit generic, with a young girl named Estelle Bright and her adopted brother Joshua joining their local Bracers’ Guild (mercenaries) to start making money and a name for themselves, it starts bringing up all kinds of satisfying twists and turns. Plus, this is an incredibly detailed adventure with lots of sidequests, NPCs that have their own lives and daily business and an actual in-game newspaper that’s continually updated.

• 2: Mario Kart 7 (3DS): While the Mario Kart 7 single player mode can get extraordinarily difficult once you start tackling the 150cc races, the other single player modes are a joy to experience. Not to mention the online multiplayer works wonderfully, with players able to join racing communities, swap ghost data and easily compete against anyone, anywhere. The only real gripe I have is with the unlocking process for characters and car parts, but still. The fact that this is one of the most solid Mario Kart games ever overshadows those minor complaints.
• 1: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS):

Ocarina of Time 3D is the example of a perfect port. The graphics have all been updated and there are some new control scheme options, but aside from that the game is exactly as people have remembered, with some minor memorable bugs and glitches even left intact. The story is incredible and it’s just a fantastic game that anyone who professes to be a serious gamer should at least attempt to play. Link has to travel around Hyrule and through time to stop Ganondorf from misusing the power of the Triforce.

So what do you think? Did you have any favorites from 2011 that didn’t make the list and you think they need some love as well? Let us know in the comments!

So before we head into a whole new year, Important Importables is going to salute the past, and one of the best early RPG experiences people could get.

So what’s this Phantasy Star series all about?

Despite the similar names, Phantasy Star actually existed before the Final Fantasy series, with Phantasy Star appearing on the Sega Master System in 1988, two years before Final Fantasy showed up on the NES. The first four games managed to help set the pace for turn-based RPGs and was a pioneer, and showed people how a challenging, story-driven adventure could work.

Actually, the early Phantasy Star games had more in common with the Star Ocean series in terms of plot, despite being grounded in turn-based RPG roots like the Final Fantasy series. Each entry has a group of heroes facing off against a common enemy, on either a foreign planet in space or, in one case, a space ship. Each entry also blends some futuristic elements with more traditional fantasy ones. So you’ll see characters wielding swords, using magic and fighting monsters, while also having access to guns, space ships and androids/cyborgs/robots. This blend is both most and least evident in the third entry, which is typically considered the black sheep of the original Phantasy Star quartet. These ties between all four games is enforced by the main villain, the Dark Force. It is a sort of ephemural being that has the power to influence those around it and seeks only to cause pain and misery.

In each game, players had access to a fairly large party of characters. They would be tasked with some seemingly small quest in the beginning, as is common with RPGs, and would then somehow get involved in saving the entire world. In the process, they would have to travel not only around their planet, but also to a neighboring planet. While the difficulty could get quite challenging at times, especially in Phantasy Star 2 and 3, there were plenty of towns to stop at and lots of equipment to collect. All battles are turn-based, with a first person view as in the Dragon Quest series.

As for finding these first few entries, you’ll have the best luck if you look to the Game Boy Advance, PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360. In 2002, Digital Eclipse and THQ released the Phantasy Star Collection for the GBA and it includes the first three games. The Sonic Ultimate Genesis Collection (PS3, Xbox 360) includes all four games.

Let’s look at the first four games

Now, let’s get into specifics. While each game did share the commonalities mentioned above, they were individual adventures and you sometimes couldn’t even see the connections among them unless you really searched for them. Of course, the exception to that is Phantasy Star 4, which was filled with all kinds of easter eggs and references that anyone who played a previous game could pick out. This does main that players can jump in without any background information, even though the games all take place in the Algo Star System.

Phantasy Star is the first game in the series and chronologically. It begins on the planet Palma, where Alis is living with her brother Nero. Nero is part of an underground rebel force that is standing against king Lassic, who used to be a good ruler but turned into a tyrant overnight after converting to a new religion. Lassic’s robotic police force ends up finding and killing Nero, and he passes his cause on to Alice. Her quest means she has to travel around Palma, Motavia and Dezolis, recruiting the human Odin, the Musk Cat Myau and the Esper Noah to her party.

Phantasy Star 2 is the second game and the second chronologically, occuring about 1,000 years after the original game. Shortly before the game begins, the planet Palma was destroyed after the Gaila satellite crashed. So Rolf, our hero, is living on the planet Motavia, which has been made hospitable due to a climate control system installed by Mother Brain. He’s an agent working for the Commander of Motavia, and as the game begins he’s tasked with investigating why Mother Brain is allowing Motavian systems to fail and letting loose biomonsters. He heads out with Nei, a Numan girl he rescued, and eventually other companions.

Phantasy Star 3: Generations of Doom is the third game and even now people aren’t exactly sure where it fits in. The Japanese translation says that it happened 1,000 years after Phantasy Star 4, while the English translation means it happens at the same time as Phantasy Star 4. I’d go with the Japanese timeline, since translation errors in RPGs were common in the Genesis and SNES years. It’s actually considered the strangest entry in the series as well, since it initially seems to have no ties to the previous games, almost all futuristic elements are absent for most of the first generation and it covers three generations of heroes.

Phantasy Star 3 begins with a young man named Rhys, who is an Orakian prince from Landen. He found a mysterious woman named Maia washed up on the shores of his land, fell in love with her and is gong to marry her when the game begins. However, she’s abducted by a dragon on their wedding day. Rhys sets out to save her, but along the way starts to find out more about the Layan people the Orakians have been at war with for years. As time goes by, his descendents find out more about their world, the war between Orakio and Laya and their peoples’ true enemy. Now, in case you’re wondering how all this ties in without having to play the game, Phantasy Star 3 takes place entirely on one of the Alisa III evacuation worldships that set out after Palma was destroyed prior to Phantasy Star 2.

Phantasy Star 4 is the fourth game in the series and takes place after another 1,000 year time jump. That’s 1,000 years after Phantasy Star 2, by the way. It is also set on Motavia, except this is a Motavia after Mother Brain was shut down. So no more climate control – people are living in a desert. Alys and Chaz are two Hunters, mercenaries who take missions to help people in the game. As the adventure begins, Alys and Chaz are sent to the Piata Academy to investigate a biomonster outbreak. There, they are joined by a researcher named Hahn and learn that this isn’t an isolated incident. Strange things are happening all around Motavia, and a priest named Zio and his followers seem to be connected to all of them.

COMING NEXT WEEK: Important Importables looks at the Doctor Who video games.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Last week Important Importables reviewed Bleach: Heat the Soul 7.

Site [AmiAmi] Site [Play-Asia] Site [YesAsia] Site [NCSX] Site [Himeya Shop] Site [Strapya World]

Right now, AM2R is still in the early stages. However, substantial progress has been made and there’s even something pretty awesome to see. There’s a trailer to watch an a demo to download!

The demo works quite well on Windows PCs, as I’ve given it a shot myself and quite enjoyed it. It’s just the first part of the game, so you can see what you’ll be looking forward to and playing when the whole project is done. It’s free to download at the AM2R site. You may want to grab it sooner, rather than later. Just in case Nintendo decided to get sue-happy or something.

Did I mention it’s pretty? It’s very pretty. Go take a peek and enjoy the warm fuzzies of nostalgia, if you get some spare time later today.

Read [Project AM2R] Via [Siliconera]

It’s Halloween time, and zombies are all over Xbox Live. Zombie Apocalypse was a horror-themed dual stick shooter we reviewed back in 2009. The sequel, Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone, is now available. Four new heroes find their Canadian island infested with the undead and band together. This time, the combat is squad-based. Even in single player mode, you’ll can switch between characters to use different special abilities. One of the major improvements in the sequel is the different skill sets of characters. There’s even a cleric, Father Bill, who can heal other players. Together the players will slay the oncoming hordes and hopefully find a way off the doomed island. Never Die Alone is 800 Microsoft Points ($10).

Zombies are also on hand in the Deal of the Week. Capcom’s Dead Rising gets a Games on Demand price cut taking it to just $14.99. Case Zero, the prequel,to Dead Rising 2 is only 200 MP, while Case West is 400 MP. That game teams up the heroes of the the Dead Rising universe, Chuck Greene and Frank West. Both games are standalone, you don’t need Dead Rising 2 to play them. Playing Case Zero before DR2 will unlock some combo weapons in the full game.

Aliens have been putting the scare into us even longer than zombies. War of the Worlds is a re-telling of H.G. Wells’ classic sci-fi tale as a 2D side scroller, with narration by Patrick Stewart. Its gameplay is designed to echo 2D favorites such as Castlevania and Prince of Persia. It’s developed by Other Ocean Interactive, who brought Castlevania:Symphony of the Night to Xbox Live. This one is retro all the way. War of the Worlds is 800 MP.

Speaking of retro arcade style action, a new take on Daytona USA goes live this week. Get your motor running with enhanced graphics and tracks for varying skill levels. The game also includes the original Dayton USA soundtrack. It’s 800 MP to trade paint all the way to the finish line. This racer was ahead of its time in a few ways. Realistic vehicle damage was a rarity back in 1993 and Daytona has it. Now there are online leaderboards and competitive play allowing you to get your drift on all over the world. This one is so nostalgic, you may find yourself smelling food court pizza while playing.

Read [Major Nelson] Also Read [Platform Nation]

Zen Studios’ Pinball FX 2 is excellent at using current-gen console controllers to create that old school arcade experience. The game also has a number of affordable table options to keep things new and fresh. The Pinball FX 2 game is a free download but Zen charges for the tables.

To promote the game and have a little Halloween fun, Zen has made its Paranormal Table available as a free download in the Xbox Live Arcade until November 2, 2011. This table places you in the role of a paranormal detective investigating creepy creatures and weird happenings. (The truth is out there, Agent Mulder.)

This table was previously a PS3 exclusive. The rotatable table features four mini-games, floating objects and “supernatural events.” Those events include a close encounter with the Loch Ness Monster. There’s a rotating cube mini-game that actually determines which multi-ball will trigger. The haunted house mini-game has a vertical structure with flippers and windows that keeps the ball moving really fast.
After November 2, the table goes back to its regular price of 240 Microsoft Points. Other themed tables include Rocky and Bullwinkle, the Fantastic Four and Ms. Splosion Man.

When you download Pinball FX 2, you’ll be able to demo all the individual tables and see which interest you. I have the Marvel Comics table collection and I can’t recommend this game highly enough.

Each table shows a true dedication and love for the theme and, most importantly, is a blast to play. Considering this table is free, it doesn’t hurt to try. Even if you’re not a pinball wizard, you’ll probably be hooked. If you grew up trying to bust your buddy’s high scores on the machine at the local bowling alley, download this game right now. The table contains 50 points worth of achievements as well.

Here’s a trailer for the Paranormal Table. Have a happy Halloween weekend!

Site [Pinball FX] Also Read [Lazy Tech Guys]

I didn’t.

Thankfully, it had the courtesy to die within the 30 day return period.

September 20, 2011:

Since my almost eight year old iPod Video’s battery life had gotten to the point where I get about three hours from a single charge, I’d been keeping my eyes open for a deal on a comparable mp3 player. Enter the Big Lots sales circular, which proudly boasted a $145 Nextbook tablet that is not only an mp3 player, but also and eReader and video player. Plus, it even uses the Android 2.1 Eclair operating system. Since Big Lots makes a point of saying if products are refurbished items in the ad, I check for that line. There’s none, which means the Next6 Nextbooks are new products. I’m sold, and head off to my local store.

When I arrived, the Big Lots had five Nextbooks in stock. When I asked the clerk, she confirmed that they are brand new and not refurbished products, and tells me there is a 30 day return policy in case it doesn’t work.

I get it home and initially, everything seemed great. The web browser isn’t lightning fast, but it did load sites without any problem. The mp3 player worked with the text mp3s and even had a feature to create playlists or get information on songs from the internet. The video player is responsive and adequate, but it’s impossible to access a directory of videos once a video has started playing. Still, both work pretty well.

The eReader app wasn’t very good. There’s no way to sort, organize or rate books. The app automatically loads the books in, and only separates them into the library as a whole and recently read books. While I could save bookmarks and select a recently read book, it was impossible to quickly access one certain book.

After I had discovered the included eReader was so terrible, especially since it’s irrevocably tied to the Borders eStore and won’t recognize the Kobo Store, I headed to Google and the SlideMe Marketplace to find a free eReader app to replace it. I’d heard good things about Aldiko, so it finds a new home on my tablet. I also grab AComicView, Barrr, Air Control Lite and a Tetris clone. All seem to open and run with no problem.

September 21, 2011:

I procured a rather nice, 4gb SD card. Okay, technically I found the free one I got from MicroCenter last month. Still, I figure it should do nicely since the Next6 has an SD slot to expand to up to 32gb. I inserted it into the Next6 while the device is turned on, in case it needs to do any special formatting. I then connected my Next6 to my computer with the included MicroUSB cord.

Oddly enough, two boxes came up. One says Next6 Nextbook, and the other is just a standard removable drive message. I figured they were the same thing, and created a folder for my mp3s, photos and ebooks on the Next6 itself.

Except that didn’t seem to work. The mp3s, pdfs and photos don’t show up. I attached the tablet to the computer again and place the books in the existing ebook folder, mp3s in the existing music folder and so on. I detached the Next6 from my laptop again, and this time the items show up. I wasn’t ready to start tapping into the 4gb of onboard space, so I kept at it. About 10 minutes later, I figured things out.

All files and custom folders on the Next6 have to be added to the generic external drive, and not the Next6. Problem solved.

Of course, when all this was going on I checked the Nextbook website for help. I didn’t find any, but I did find out I was supposed to get a stylus with the Next6 and there was none in the box. Oh well.

September 22, 2011, all day:

I finally learned how to remove the annoying weather widget from the main page, move around existing shortcuts and add new shortcuts. You press and hold your finger on a widget or shortcut to move it, and drag it down to the little garbage can that appears at the bottom of the screen to delete it. To add new shortcuts, you press and hold on an empty area until a menu shows up. That’s a plus.

I also discovered that all attempts to use the Amazon App Store are futile. Even after logging in, the app will constantly bring you to the main page of the App Store and not allow you to browse other areas or check apps you have that need to be downloaded. Sometimes, you can get lucky and actually get to your downloaded apps page or a general games page for a moment, but once you click on a link to leave it, you’ll find it quite difficult to return to that page. When I was absolutely desperate, I found logging in and out repeatedly, while standing right next to the wireless router and attempting to access my apps page or a product listing sometimes worked. Even then, it was a matter of chance if I reached and remained on the page I wanted to see. Still, I did manage to download the free app of the day each day for a week, but since I usually couldn’t click through to learn more about the app, it was a gamble if it would actually run on the Next6.

Actually, it’s a gamble if even the SlideMe apps that say they’re compatible will run. Bebbled and one of those Alchemy clones didn’t. Which meant I only indulged in free apps and games, since I didn’t want to risk paying for something that won’t work.

Amazon’s free app for today was GAMEVIL’s Illusia. I excitedly downloaded it, as I liked Zenonia on the PSP, but since I couldn’t scroll back to see the page that shows my apps and the download status, I had to just be patient and hope it’ll be done any moment. After it finally downloaded and installed, I immediately opened it up to start playing. Though the music sounded nice and it did run, there was dreadful and noticeable lag. It was like my mage was moon-jumping her way just outside Turnvill and those tame raccoons were too fat to move. I decided to leave the app on my Next6, but did not attempt to play it again.

Out of curiousity, I got a friend to allow me to log into his Amazon App Store account on my Next6, to try some of the games he’s downloaded on the device. All three Zenonia games did run, but have the same problem with lag that Illusia faced. Oddly enough, his copy of Doodle Jump worked perfectly on the device, as did his copy of Office Suite. I also went online to find a copy of Game Dev Story Lite to install, and found it worked perfectly as well.

September 24, 2011, I have no idea when:

I finally realized that the left page turn button can be pressed and held to return to the Next6 main menu when using an app that takes up the entire screen. I am a tech-savvy rock star. This means I didn’t have to turn the system off and back on again every time I was done playing with a full screen app.

I had also tried using the Next6 for some basic, internet browsing. While I couldn’t download the official Facebook and Twitter apps, I had been reading and updating using the browser. I also was able to use Gmail and Google Chat with no trouble. The Next6 browser is a bit slow, but it isn’t too bad. Especially if I stick to mobile versions of sites.

The period between September 25-October 3 was fairly uneventful, and filled with random ebook reading, mp3 playing and casual game usage. I didn’t use the internet browser anymore, aside from checking the news stories on the Yahoo main page, because the browser does get rather slow and annoying after a while. I also learned that the Next6 does not get around 10 hours of battery life. It’s more like six hours of battery life for a single charge. Also, a problem came up with the SD card. Even though it would click into place with a spring, twice the SD card slid out of my Next6 and into my purse. This lead to me keeping a piece of tape over the SD card slot so I wouldn’t lose my card. Also, aside from the initial app installations mentioned above, I did not add any more apps to my device. I did, however, remove the Amazon App Store and all apps tied to it.

October 4, 2011, all day:

The Next6 seemed to be running slower than usual. When I was scrolling through the Aldiko book list or the icons in the main menu, it seemed to drag a little. Loading books and turning pages even seemed to take longer than usual. I opened the included Android Task Killer to see what’s running, and there’s nothing unusual. I closed all unnecessary programs, but it didn’t seem to help.

I decided to delete all unnecessary apps, except for Air Control Lite, Barrr and the notepad app, in case the Amazon App Store and apps associated with it or one of the other optional apps I installed was part of the problem. It didn’t help.

October 5, 2011, all day:

Aldiko hasn’t been working right. It would take multiple taps for the page to turn, and often times the program just froze. After a few minutes of freezing, the Next6 would say that the application isn’t responding and I have to force close it. I try uninstalling, redownloading and reinstalling the app, but I still have the same problems. I cleared out my Aldiko library, so it is only using the 25 free ebooks the Next6 came with, but the problem persisted.

I decided to go back to using the built-in eReader. However, it has similar problems. I tried reading the included copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales three times, with the program saying each time that the “eBook Reader has stopped unexpectedly” with a more detailed explanation of which process isn’t working included in the message. I tried restarting the Next6. When I bring up the built-in eReader, it then started giving me the error when just browsing the library.

I decided to give the Next6 a rest, and put it aside for a few days to recover.

October 8, 2011, around 12pm:

I wanted to check my email, but didn’t want to bother with my laptop. I grab the Next6. It’s been three days since I last used it. It freezes on the second loading screen, with a woman in a forest wearing headphones and laughing. After about five minutes of this, I decided she’s laughing at me for waiting so long for the Next6 to load. I got out a pin to press the reset button on the back of the tablet. It shuts down and I was able to restart it with no problem. I decided to just turn it off and use my laptop to check my mail.

October 9, 2011, around 10am:
Today I had plans with friends at 1pm. I decided I wanted to read a little bit of Pride and Prejudice before leaving the house at 11am. I picked up my Next6, as usual, and pressed the power tab for five seconds to start it up.

It went through the loading screens, with the first two quickly passing. Then the third loading screen popped up. After this screen with a finger pointing up remained for over five minutes, I reasoned the device isn’t going to be starting up. I reset it, using the same Wee Ninjas pin from the last time I tried to use it. I then restarted the Next6 again, to see if it would complete loading. It did.

I decided not to take my chances and played Castlevania: Harmony of Despair instead.

October 10, 2011, around 7am:

Today was a carpool day. Since I’m not driving, I decided to bring the Next6 along so I can read in the car or listen to music that isn’t Barry Manilow.

I went through the startup procedure within minutes of getting in the car. It froze on the second loading image of the laughing woman.

I spent the next 20 minutes with Tony Bennett and Barry Manilow, since I had no pin with me to reset the Next6.

October 10, 2011, around 9pm:

The Next6 started perfectly when I turned it on. However, Aldiko and the included eReader were still acting up and causing problems. I decided to do a factory reset on the device, returning it to its original state to see if that would fix the problems I’d encountered.

I followed the onscreen directions, plugging the Next6 in and tapping the appropriate buttons. Yes, I was really, absolutely, perfectly, positively sure I wanted to do this.

I left the device alone for 15 minutes. During that time, the Next6 ran the gauntlet and returned to its original status. I open the included, nameless eReader program and attempt to read Pride and Prejudice, one of the 25 books included on the device.

The Next6 froze on page 29.

Hello again, handy Wee Ninja pin.

October 11, 2011, around 3pm:

I repacked and returned the Next6 to Big Lots after work. The store still had one Next6 Nextbook in its display case. The clerk mentioned its the second one she’s seen returned while she was on duty over the last month, but didn’t remember why the other one was taken back. I have no issues getting my money back and earmark the money for a Kindle Fire or Lenovo Ideapad A1.

In short, the Next6 Nextbook was an interesting experiment. While it seemed promising initially, it didn’t hold up when used daily. Not to mention there were rather annoying issues when it came to trying to run apps, especially the Amazon App Store and certain games. I suppose it is an option if someone is absolutely desperate and really wants to save money, but I’m not sure I could ever really trust another Nextbook tablet after seeing mine start randomly freezing, slowing down and dying within a month.

Site [Next6 Nextbook]