It’d be unfair to go very far into this review without telling you outright that I’m in the middle of a love affair with Shadow Complex. The game has quite literally overtaken my normal game playing habits (Prototype, just a few missions from completion, has been put on hold) and, to some extent, changed my perception of what to expect from downloadable games.

For $15, Shadow Complex brings with it a ton of quality content (though your mileage may vary in terms of game length — speed runs have gotten the game’s completion time to under a half hour already). During the eight or so hours I spent with the game, it gradually ramped up the challenge near synchronously with upgrades. By the end of the game, you’re super-punching enemies into the next screen and running on water. And yes, dearest reader, those things are just as fun as they sound. Maybe more so.

Hit the break for more reasons why you should pick up the game when it arrives on Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday.

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In a move that we here at Geekadelphia certainly didn’t see coming (you’d think they’d tell us — come on!), Mayor Michael Nutter has declared April 1st, “Philly Pinball Day.” Apparently starting at four o’clock this afternoon, “A large metal sphere will be launched along Columbus Boulevard,” representatives from Nutter’s office told us, “And we’ve installed city-sized flippers at various points in Philly.” After the metal sphere is launched and begins rolling up Columbus Boulevard, various “bumpers” will (ideally) boost the sphere into other parts of the city also outfitted with bumpers, resulting in “massive points.”

When asked how citizens should handle the situation if they encounter the sphere, representatives for Mayor Nutter told us, “They should abandon all plans and get moving.” That’s not much of a plan, now is it? The ball is scheduled to roll around the city from four o’clock this afternoon, “until the city’s out of balls — unless we manage a tilt,” said representatives. Good luck to everyone! And let’s hope next year we have a considerably safer Pinball Day.

Seriously, just look at their adorable faces! Clearly ready for the bludgeoning of so many zombies’ undead, less-than-adorable faces. We know, we know: It’s been a few months since Left 4 Dead dropped on your 360/PC and you’ve been wondering if you’ll ever pick it up again. What with teh Hayloez and Street Fighter IV, you’ve got so much on you plate as it is! But seriously, picture this: A Left 4 Dead PC mod with nothing but park rangers coming after you and you’re in a group of adorable bears, swinging spike-lined pic-uh-nic baskets over your heads and throwing molotovs full of skin-melting honey. PERFECT!

Steam modding community, you orders are clear. Get on it!

[Via Hellforge]

Although the game was announced way back in late October, we’d heard nothing more on the Harmonix-developed, Beatles-themed Rock Band game than the fact that it was in development … until today! The official press release from Apple Corps. and Harmonix this morning titles the game The Beatles: Rock Band (keeping the branding, eh?) and sets it to release on Xbox 360/PS3/Wii on Sept. 9.

In keeping with the plastic instrument/rhythym game tradition of releasing multiple SKUs with multiple price points, Harmonix has detailed the packages as follows:

• The Beatles: Rock Band Software – Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii: $59.99 MSRP
• The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars – Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii: $99.99 MSRP
• The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle -Xbox 360, Playstation 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP

For the time being, we’re sticking with our already perfectly capable plastic instruments and picking up the $59.99 version, thank you very much. If you’re hankerin’ for some teasin’, the game’s official site is now open and lookin’ mighty classy if we do say so ourselves.

Last night, Eric and I sat down with the single-player campaign in Halo Wars for Xbox 360, set to drop in the U.S. on March 3rd. We played through the first three missions (well, at least that’s what we’re allowed to talk about) and watched Harvest get rampaged by Covenant troops. We met the new AI companion and the commanding crew of the Spirit of Fire. And how was it? It was … just OK. Hit the jump for our full rundown.

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Well folks, we’re nearly a full month into 2009 and as such, the folks with the giant calculators and pocket protectors have broken down some of last year’s sales figures for us to base exaggerated headlines around analyze. And though there are certainly greater extrapolations to take out of 2008′s best selling games list, The NPD Group has compiled the various versions of both Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 for comparisons sake. And what did they find? Mind-boggilingly, Guitar Hero outsold Rock Band at nearly 2:1.

Over the course of 2008, Guitar Hero: World Tour loosed 3.4 million copies (across all version of their game) onto an unsuspecting American populace only too happy to gobble up its “Hot Topic”-based version of “Rock’n'Roll”, while Rock Band 2 sold only 1.7 million copies (again, across all versions). One explanation could be the relative brand power of the Guitar Hero franchise versus the less well-known Rock Band (and Forbes isn’t helping the situation!). Another could be the varied release schedule of Rock Band 2 across different consoles versus the single day release of all Guitar Hero: World Tour versions. Either way, while we’re not baffled as to why something like this might occur, we are disappointed.

You can do better than this, America! We know you can!

(Via IGN/GameSpot UK)

Though you may have already seen the video above over at the Philadelphia Weekly website, we couldn’t help but share it here as well. Last week we headed over to University Pinball in West Philadelphia to talk to a few fighting game tournament players in their element (and maybe to use it as an excuse to play Street Fighter IV before it’s impending console release). Brandon DeShields (aka: Demon Hyo) and Doug Morris (aka: Rick_Son) took time out of their evening to tell us about the tournament scene in Philly, the history of University Pinball, how they got started and how you can get involved. Oh, and yeah, we did get totally schooled in Street Fighter IV, just in case you were wondering.

Do we love Street Fighter? I think the answer is an obvious and resounding “YES!” Check out the rest of our various SF-related blatherings below:

-University Pinball immediately following the arrival of SFIV
-Super Street Fighter II Turbo HD Remix (enough already!) gets a release date…sorta
-Jeff Walewski reports live from the “Street Fighter IV Fight Club” in NYC thrown by Capcom
-We even covered the silly movie — twice. (We’re confused too.)

Aaaand we’re back folks. Though we claimed the week of interviews to be over last Friday with Philip Kollar’s (somewhat inflammatory) thoughts on emerging media and the monetization thereof, we’re here for a special ‘bonus round’ interview today with Joystiq.com’s Justin McElroy. Known for his eloquent vocal stylings on the Joystiq Podcast — not to mention his burgeoning career as lead singer of Robin and the Stiqers — Justin has been entertaining millions for quite some time now. Today, he’s here to entertain/educate entertainicate you, fellow Geekadelphian.

The question for you readers is, after a week of reading these interviews, how do you think we are going to monetize these emerging forms of media? What’s going to allow for this stuff to not just survive but to thrive? Please let us know how you feel in the comments sections below!

(GEEK): As host/creator of the Joystiq Podcast, could you explain why you think podcasting is an important approach for journalistic coverage, and more specifically, games journalism?

I think that the most valuable service is that it forces journalists and critics to defend their opinions.  I find that my opinions aren’t nearly as well defined when I don’t have to defend them to Chris and Ludwig. I think there’s also value in getting opinions that are completely unfettered by writing or a lot of ponderous thoughts. There are also so many discussions to be had about games that don’t fit in the context of a review, preview or feature. Those are important conversations to have, and I think podcasts are a good place for them.

(GEEK): In your time as a games journalist/games enthusiast, you’ve seen games writers laid off or resign for other ventures (be they game-related or otherwise). It could be said that the cutbacks we’ve seen budget-wise in games journalism are symptomatic of changing business models that are effecting journalism on the whole. In that regard, do you believe Joystiq or, maybe more importantly, all publishing entities in the games journalism industry are adequately adapting to changing business models?

I don’t think I could possibly be less qualified to answer this question, Ben…

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(Philip Kollar is not the pickle, just so you know.)

Is it Friday already? And we had just started shaking this “Text Tree” for all it’s worth! (Yes, we’re a bit ashamed of that joke as well.) Rounding out our week of interviews on new media is Philip Kollar, ex-1UP.com News staffer, current freelancer and Eat-Sleep-Game writer. You may know him as one half of the 1UP FM Podcast team, you may know him as occasional star of the recently departed “1UP Show”, you may know him from his work at Evil Avatar — we just know him as that dude in the front of the line at the Capcom Press Conference. And even though he’s assuredly scrambling at the moment to keep his rent coming in on time, he was happy to tackle the last day in our interview series. To check out more from Phil, head over to Eat-Sleep-Game.com and subscribe to their new podcast, unironically titled, “Rebel FM.”

Without further rumination, the Geekadelph presents the final day of “Text Tree.”

(with a special bonus round on Monday for all you McElroy-ites out there)

(GEEK): In your time at 1UP, you not only spearheaded one of their most popular new podcasts but also regularly starred on “The 1UP Show” video podcast where members of the 1UP and EGM crews discussed games. Could you explain why you think new forms of content delivery (podcasting and other multimedia) are important in journalistic coverage?

I think new media is an important part of all Internet coverage, whether you’re talking journalism, entertainment, criticism, or anything else. We’ve quickly reached a point where, yes, people still read text, but they also expect video and audio content alongside text for virtually any subject they’re reading about online. iTunes and YouTube have given people new ways to take in content about their hobbies and the things they love, so it would be foolish to not try to reach your audience through those new mediums. Beyond that, video and audio allow for different kinds of coverage than straight text. They’re better-suited for having a dialogue about a game, for example, rather than a simple text review. They also provide further opportunities to involve the community in the discussion, which is an essential piece of success for a website in a democratized online world.

(GEEK): In the light of the recent events with Ziff-Davis and 1UP/UGO, it could be said that the cutbacks we’ve seen budget-wise in games journalism are symptomatic of changing business models, due to the internet, that are effecting journalism on the whole. In that regard, do you believe that publishing houses in the games journalism industry are adequately adapting to changing business models?

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As if in an attempt to one-up Wesley Johnson’s “Text Tree” interview picture from yesterday in hilarious caption-ability, our featured writer today is a unicorn Griffin McElroy of AOL-owned Joystiq.com. His most recent achievement was taking the Playstation Network by storm with a meme of diabolical proportions (we can’t speak of it here without offending you, dearest reader) and he was kind enough to respond to our Twitter plea for game writers to answer a few questions on new forms of content delivery. Even if we don’t agree with his crazy/ludicrous feelings about Fable 2′s ending, we do find what he has to say about podcasting quite interesting. Hopefully you will too! And if you’re enjoying these interviews, please let us know! (Maybe enough comments will force a response out of N’Gai Croal — a boy can hope, can’t he?)

(GEEK): As an occasional host on the Joystiq Podcast and a seasoned writer on Joystiq.com, could you explain why you think podcasting is an important approach for journalistic coverage, and more specifically, games journalism?

I think this answer could best be given through the insight of my father, who has worked in radio his entire adult life. He’s seen the industry change over 30-some odd years, from a legitimate, popular source for music and news to a collection of sanitized, corporate entities in decline. He got a Zune for Christmas, his first digital media player, and I quickly introduced him to the world of podcasts. I realized how much our tech-savvy generation takes for granted — my father was bewildered at the prospect of free (to consume and produce) old-school radio roundtables regarding virtually any topic he could ever want to listen to two or three people prattle on about for an hour.

Podcasting is important because it’s opening up the audio broadcast medium to a wider audience than ever before — much like blogging opened up the printed word to the masses in a… Gutenbergian manner (Johannes, not Steve). The more people contribute to the landscape, the more widely accepted the medium becomes. I don’t think it’s too outrageous to claim that within a year, every sizable gaming blog will have a regularly updated podcast, just to stay competitive. The channels of reporting news on the internet are evolving rapidly, and outlets that fail to adapt to said changes will be eaten alive.

That all came off far too dour — I also believe that podcasting is fun. This could just be because my cohorts are genuinely hilarious dudes, but I can’t really think of a better way to spend an hour and a half than to chat about Witch-shooting in Left 4 Dead or the awful ending to Fable 2 with the guys I work with. Not only is it a blast, but it’s helped strengthen the Joystiq community. There’s a Facebook group some 2,100 members strong called the “Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group” who, in addition to submitting frequently disturbing photoshops of our Podcasters, record their own podcast (the “Joystiq Podcast Appreciation Group Podcast”), which in turn has its own appreciation group. Their fervor is both humbling and terrifying.

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How many licks does it take to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Roll Pop, Wes? That’s incorrect, I’m sorry — from what we hear, it takes ‘thuree.’ Okay, sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves. The gentleman you see above getting ready to grab you by the face is Wesley Johnson, owner/proprietor/grand poobah/etc. of Insulin Funk. What is Insulin Funk you ask? Well, it’s the depression that sets in from insulin withdrawals when you have diabetes and are jonesin’ for some shots. No! It’s a website dedicated to film, comics, videogames and assorted other media. Aside from his ‘grand poobah’-related responsiblities, Wes is also one of the two main hosts of the JPAGcast, a ‘podcast based on a Facebook group based on a podcast’ that I may or may not have guested on myself a couple of times. His take on new forms of content delivery in game coverage is from the side of a passionate enthusiast — a lot like us. As always, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments

(GEEK): As a freelance journalist and having hosted/been a part of a variety of gaming podcasts, could you explain why you think podcasting is an important approach for games coverage, and more specifically, games journalism?

Gaming news sites are often pigeonholed as enthusiast press, right? Well, enthusiasm can only be reflected so much in the written word. Hearing an “enthusiast” express his or her enthusiasm audibly is often more entertaining than reading their words. That’s not to say podcasting is more valuable than print, though. That’s not true at all. A good podcast will assist your readers in getting to know you which will in turn make them value your writing more.

(GEEK): In your time as a games journalist/games enthusiast, you’ve seen games writers laid off or resign for other ventures (be they game-related or otherwise). It could be said that the cutbacks we’ve seen budget-wise in games journalism are symptomatic of changing business models that are affecting journalism on the whole. In that regard, do you believe publishing entities in games writing are adequately adapting to changing business models?

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Yes, yes, it’s a little late in the day to be posting a feature (nearly four in the afternoon may as well be midnight on the interweb) but you must understand: those chocolates needed to be eaten while watching daytime television. They’d have gone bad otherwise! Come on, interweb! Either way, we’re making up for it with an interview in our ongoing “Text Tree” series featuring none other than Joystiq’s Editor-in-Chief Chris Grant. He explained the reasoning behind getting into podcasting for him and how we (as, ‘the media’) are trying — and sometimes failing –  at making new forms of content delivery work. He also gives a shoutout to Stephen Totilo ’cause hey, why not?

Phillyfied Chris Grant fact: Dude lives in Philly! Massive, colossus-sized blog’s Editor-in-Chief lives and works out of Philadelphia. Suck on that, San Francisco! And now, the interview.

(GEEK): As a host/creator of the Joystiq Podcast, could you explain why you think podcasting is an important approach for journalistic coverage, and more specifically, games writing/journalism?

The logic behind starting up the podcast was specifically to present a more casual, laid-back approach to delivering the news. I know what you’re thinking: “But Chris, Joystiq is a blog! You guys had a Star Wars-themed day where you secretly snuck in references all day! Even more casual than that?”

Sounds crazy, right! Here’s the deal: At Joystiq, we write with the editorial “we” and though the more astute readers may parse a personality from each post, most don’t. They visit the site to gather the news and, in turn, we take that responsibility very seriously. On the other hand, we know there are readers who do want a more personal – and more in-depth – take on the news. And thus, the Joystiq Podcast was born from that desire.

Why is it important? Well, I don’t know if I’d say it’s “important” at all – but I would argue it’s valuable. It helps us reach our audience more directly; it helps our audience put personalities to the names they read every day on the site; and, conceptually, it satisfies a need so we can focus on delivering the news in as entertaining a way as possible so readers can study up on, say, the latest first-person shooter instead of parsing who’s who from a dozen different first-person singular pronouns.

Also, people can exercise while listening to them. (Hey, Stephen!)

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