“It’s not a guilty pleasure if you don’t feel guilty…”

We all have something that we love that we know others look down upon.

But this also applies to video games. Everyone’s got a game or two on their shelf that earns a few puzzled looks from a friend looking through our collection.

So I asked the SpawnStaff to talk about what their video game guilty pleasure is.

X-men Origins: Wolverine

If I had a game that I would call a “guilty pleasure” it would be X-Men Origins: Wolverine . It actually didn’t get terrible reviews or anything, but it has been kind of buried and forgotten about (probably because of the terrible movie it was based on).

I’m applying the label “guilty pleasure” to it because it wasn’t a game that many people really considered to be great, but I really love it. I’ve played through it more times than I have most action games. I don’t know what it is that keeps me coming back to it, but I find myself doing so time and time again.

It is very much a hack and slash game mixed with some Tomb Raider –esque environments and puzzles. The action is just plain nuts with Wolverine basically disemboweling every enemy he comes across. It is an absurdly, unbelievably graphic game, and I revel in every bit of it. I don’t limit myself to only playing “fun” games, but X-Men Origins: Wolverine  is just plain fun. Sometimes that’s all I want, and it provides it in spades. - Buddy Acker, Features Editor

Sonic Adventure 2

It’s glitchy, it has an awful camera, and it has a bat woman with large breasts. Somehow, though, despite Sonic Adventure 2‘s very apparent flaws, it sits happily atop my list of favorite games. The unique mix of platforming, shooting, and exploration really hooked me as a child. The multiplayer was lacking, but fun with the right friends. There was even a cart racing mini game (which sucked, admittedly), as well as the famous Chao Garden.

The Chao Garden is what really made me put hundreds of hours into this unpolished gem. To properly raise your chaos, you were required to frequently redo levels to collect nourishment and power-ups for your tear shaped pals. This may sound like a negative, but it’s what made the game really shine. Sonic games have always been about replaying levels in the fastest, most efficient manner, and the Chao Garden was a good excuse to memorize every nook and cranny of the surprisingly well-designed stages. A fantastic, overlooked platformer that remains Sonic’s most memorable venture into the 3D realm yet. - Colton Steury, Senior Staff Writer

Halo: Reach

Sometimes you just want to sit back and relax with that one game that you keep going back to. For most people, that game doesnâ€t necessarily have to be an amazing one. It can just be something that youâ€d like to play in spurts, or over extended sessions. It doesnâ€t matter how you play it – the game still gives you the same amount of enjoyment every time, and thatâ€s the reason why you find yourself popping in the game disk more often than not.

For me, that game is Halo Reach. Though it doesn’t exactly fit the role of a guilty pleasure per se – an obscure title that others question my attraction to – it’s still a game that has come to be an “old reliable” staple for me. From the amazing campaign, the always-exciting Firefight, to the strategic and involved multiplayer; just like a Snickers, Reach always satisfies. It is truly the ultimate package. You can sit down and play one Firefight/multiplayer match, or 6 hours†worth of Firefight, multiplayer, and campaign, and still have an absolute blast with the game.

For me, Halo Reach improved the story, Firefight mode, and gameplay from previous Halo games, especially Halo 3 . Halo 4, in spite of its jaw-dropping graphics and frenetic multiplayer, doesnâ€t really hit the spot as it should. Itâ€s just too twitchy. Halo Reach has a much better pace of gameplay, and the fun definitely doesnâ€t let up in any of the modes.

So no matter what Iâ€m playing, whether it be Dark Souls 2 , Forza 5 , Ground Zeroes , or even older classics, the constant attraction of Reach always calls me back, especially when my friends are online. – Karam Elahi, Founder/Consultant

Final Fantasy XIII

I must’ve gotten into dozens of arguments about the Final Fantasy XIII  trilogy over the years.

When all anyone wants to talk about is the linear design of the first iteration of the series that came out four years ago, I obviously can’t get around that particular wall with most people when I want to talk about both of its sequels. But that’s not what I remember when I look back at Final Fantasy XIII , and it’s definitely not what I was thinking about when playing Final Fantasy XIII-2  and Lightning Returns .

Even with the endless hallway that was Final Fantasy XIII , I loved the characters, I loved the battle system and I loved the themes of fatalism and defying destiny.

Final Fantasy XIII-2  gave me one of my favorite tragic cliffhangers of last generation, and I’m still inclined to call it the best of the trilogy.

But Lightning Returns’  story spoke to me on many levels. The game’s questioning of the value of religion and gods was the most explicit it had ever been in the trilogy and despite the widespread criticism of the character of Lightning, in the game’s final moments I found myself relating to her more than most other video game characters as her relationship with her sister versus how she felt and acted toward everyone else took center stage.

So despite what everyone else seems to want to believe, Final Fantasy XIII  is more than the linearity of the first game.

When I look back I’ll remember a group of people willing to defy fate in order to take down unjust gods. I’ll remember a young woman who followed through on her mission to save the future despite knowing it would mean the end of her life. I’ll remember the story of two sisters who against all odds, never stopped fighting to reach each other again. – Kenneth Shepard, Senior Staff Writer

Castle Crashers

I’d have to say Castle Crashers  for myself. It’s a great party game, and there’s nothing better than watching a bear shit itself because of an over grown cat.

Basic skill options makes it easy to learn, even for someone massively inebriated and incoherent. I can jump on at any time and play online with others, or I can hack and slash my way through on my own with an overpowered character. RUN MINIONS RUN! – Luke “Fox Jester” Cobham, Staff Writer

Rise of Nations: Gold Edition

My transition into and subsequent obsession with games didn’t start “since forever,” as many players can apparently testify. But the memory of starting off with Age of Empires II  back in 2005 is a sweet one. From that my love for RTS games was born, and it would continue for quite some time until I really started to broaden my horizon. Iâ€m sure some of you might still remember a particular RTS game called Rise of Nations ? Truthfully, it has to be one of the best tactical RTS games Iâ€ve ever played, and yet, despite its critical reception and manifold rewards won, not many played it.

A common feature of RTS titles is not only a great emphasis on micromanagement, but also keeping up with research options that benefit individual units, buildings, or even the faction as a whole. Rise of Nations  does just that, but in a more advance way. Instead of three or four tiers of technology or different parts of the same timeline, Rise of Nations  displays the changing face of war across eight different significant periods in history, starting with the Ancient Age and ending with the Information Age. What so fun about it? Well, you start out with catapults, and end up with nuclear missiles. What an increase in destruction, eh? I could go on explaining the mechanics of the game, but thereâ€s a lot to learn.

Because itâ€s a historical title, in RoNâ€s  expansion, Thrones  and Patriots  includes some unique campaigns, such as Alexander the Great, Napoleon and The Cold War among others. Not only is one able to participate in and learn about actual historical battles, but it can either be played the way it went in reality, or the player can change the course of history by choosing their own path and set about dominating the globe by rectifying the mistakes made those who tried and failed. As much fun in single player as it is in multiplayer, the many nations and their unique national abilities and units are only some of the tools at the disposal of a playerâ€s grand ambitions to conquer the world. – Rudolf van Wyk, Senior Staff Writer

The post SpawnFirst’s Guilty Pleasures appeared first on SpawnFirst.

Spencer at Microsoft’s 2013 E3 Press Conference.

Phil Spencer has announced that he will replace Marc Whitten as the head of Microsoft’s Xbox division through a post on the Xbox Wire.

Prior to this new position, Spencer acted as head of Microsoft Studios. Spencer will now oversee not only Microsoft’s first party game development, but also Xbox as a whole. This includes Xbox Live, Xbox Music, and Xbox Video.

Spencer has been with Microsoft for 25 years and has previously acted as general manager of Microsoft Studios and then later Microsoft Studios Vice President.

(Source: Xbox Wire)

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Adding more fuel to this fire is a listing on Spanish retailer XtraLife for The Last of Us: Complete Edition.

The listing claims that Complete Edition will come with a PlayStation 4 copy of The Last of Us that contains all the game’s DLC, including the only story based DLC Left Behind, as well as a backpack with the game’s logo on it.

The listing has the port slated for a June 19th release, but this has yet to be confirmed by Sony.

If you can’t wait for a PS4 edition of the game, The Last of Us, and its story DLC, Left Behind, are both available now on PS3.

Source: XtraLife

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If you’ve played the final DLC for Bioshock Infinite , Burial at Sea Episode 2 , you probably heard some of the original songs that are within it.

Bioshock  developer, Irrational Games, has released all the songs in their entirety on its website as well as discusses the writing process behind each of them.

“Little Sisters’ Song”

“The Pie Song”

“Old Man Winter Jingle”

Burial at Sea, Episode 2  is the final DLC for Bioshock Infinite  and the final project by Irrational Games before its restructuring that was announced earlier this year.

Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea, Episode 2 is available now for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

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Destructoid is reporting that confirmation of an imminent digital release of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army  has come from episode 114 of the PlayStation Blogcast.

Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army  is part of a subseries of the Shin Megami Tensei  that opts to feature action based combat as opposed to the series standard turn based combat.

If you didn’t play the game when it came out on the PS2 in 2006, now is your chance to play it on the PS3 when it releases next Tuesday.

Source: PlayStation Blogcast Via: Destructoid

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Based on an extensive list of games posted on the PlayStation Blog it appears that Uncharted 4  has been all but confirmed to not be coming out this year.

The list names every game confirmed to be released in 2014. Games are sorted by season they’re expected to be released, and games with as of yet unannounced release windows are labeled as “TBA 2014.”

Included on this section of the list are games such as Ready at Dawn’s The Order: 1886  and Ubisoft’s The Division , but Naughty Dog’s fourth iteration of the Uncharted  series is nowhere to be found on this list.

Naughty Dog revealed that it was currently working on a new installment of the Uncharted series for the PlayStation 4 during Sony’s release party for the console last year, but details have been sparse since then.

The game is expected to have a full reveal at E3 this year, but from the looks of it, with that reveal will come a confirmation that the game will be released sometime in 2015.

Naughty Dog most recently released Left Behind , the only planned story DLC for The Last of Us , exclusively on PlayStation 3.

(Source: PlayStation Blog)

The post Uncharted PS4 Doesn’t Appear to be Coming Out in 2014 appeared first on SpawnFirst.

The Xbox One’s reputation system takes feedback from other players and gives users rankings based on the interactions they experienced while playing with them online. Whether you were a “Good Player,” a player who “Needs Work,” or one that was branded with “Avoid Me” was determined by how other players ranked you or reported you as an abusive player.

Beginning this month players who are relegated to a “Needs Work” ranking will receive warnings after being reported in order to encourage more positive interactions.

Players who are taken to the lowest ranking will not only experience reduced matchmaking pairings, but will also have certain privileges revoked, such as Twitch broadcasting.

The Xbox Wire was quick to remind users that this won’t penalize players for bad reports over a few weeks time, and would also adjust for false reports from players that intentionally give misleading reports for players who may have just beaten them in an online match or for “other griefing purposes.”

(Source: Xbox Wire)

The post Xbox Reputation System Upgrade to Send Warnings, Revoke Streaming appeared first on SpawnFirst.

Players that are part of the Xbox One’s update preview program have been given details about what to expect on the Xbox One’s April update.

The list of updates are as follows:

• Game and app saves and updates. A game save progress bar will show you the status of your game saves. You will also be able to easily tell what games and apps are being updated or have been updated recently.

• Friends improvements. Notifications will be added to see when favorites and friends sign in to Xbox Live. This actually was one of the most frequently requested features from the first preview wave and we made it a priority to include it in the April update. Also, friends who are in multiplayer will be identified in the friends list. Weâ€ll also add the ability to view friends†most popular apps.

• Blu-ray 50 Hz video output support for content recorded at 50 Hz will resolve video playback issues some Xbox Live members in Europe are experiencing.

• Kinect voice and motion improvements will continue to fine tune the quality and reliability of Xbox One commands.

• Improved GameDVR video quality through compression algorithm improvements.

• Updates to Xbox One device management to address issues controlling TVs, set top boxes, and receivers that our customers have reported.

• New audio settings to tune how much volume is lowered when Kinect is used in communications.

(Source: NeoGAF)

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Messages

Vita users will now be able to record voice messages, which will not only be able to be sent to Vita users, but to PlayStation 4 users as well.

Parental Controls

The update contains enhancements to the Vita’s parental controls. Users can now restrict access to the PlayStation Store, as well as guides based on age in order to best find the restriction level best suited toward a user’s desired parental controls.

Calendar

A new app also comes with the update. The Calendar app, which can be synced to your Google Calendar, can be used to create events that can be shared through the Messages and Email apps.

The update also allows users to manage their content found on their memory cards, as well as other tweaks to existing apps.

The list of changes include (via PlayStation Blog):

Music – You will now be able to search for content saved on a connected device such as a PC.

Video – Youâ€ll be able to now sort content by size.

Photo

Rotate Screen Automatically has been added to Photos to control tilt sensor for rotation of images.

Freeform has been added to the Panoramic mode selection list.

Settings

Adjust Daylight Saving Automatically has been added.

30 minutes has been added in Enter Standby Mode Automatically.

(Source: PlayStation Blog)

The post Details on the Newest PS Vita Update, 3.10 appeared first on SpawnFirst.

If you didn’t already know, Infamous: Second Son was released yesterday and already players are blowing up the #PS4Share hashtag on Twitter with the system’s built in sharing feature.

Some players choose to share moments in the game showcasing Second Son’s beautiful particle effects.

#PS4share pic.twitter.com/VzSNdvoO4T

— Adrián Fuentes (@Getres) March 22, 2014

genuinely can’t get enough of this game #PS4share pic.twitter.com/2dNVBVwfbY — Stu Hamilton (@_stuhamilton) March 22, 2014

Found it!!!! #PS4share pic.twitter.com/2MYj4YqW3L — Ivan Lee (@Ivan0oze) March 22, 2014

Sly in inFAMOUS #PS4share pic.twitter.com/TtB4AtztvX

— 〽 Lu-K.® (@DocteurKoBs) March 22, 2014

Even the SpawnStaff is getting in on the action.

Goddamn, this game is stunning. #secondson #PS4share pic.twitter.com/HX3qU6mZlV

— Kenneth Shepard (@onelastkiss4you) March 21, 2014

#PS4share pic.twitter.com/eYHvAQA6h2

— SlasherJPC (@slasherjpc) March 22, 2014

Things like this show really how enticing the sharing capabilities of the new consoles can be. With these new features players can show off how they’re playing games and what they’re experiences are in the moment.

Things like this were only available to PC players or people who were willing to pay for expensive capture cards. It’s nice to see these features being put to good use.

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