While playing Gears of War with a friend tonight, we discovered a new feature that's been added since the patch: knockouts. Previously, if you were downed in versus, you could be revived as many times as needed. However, since the patch, they've added a new system where if you're downed three times it's game over -- basically giving Gears an extra lives system. You now get three lives before you go to that big Cog factory in the sky. This goes for multiplayer modes Execution, War Zone and Assassination.

As a victim of the yo-yo effect (down someone, let them get up, down someone, let them get up, etc.), I'd rather be killed this way than be at the mercy of being someone's yo-yo. Plus, it forces you to be more careful because after a 2nd knockdown you're out of the game. Personally, I'd like to have the option to turn it off or at least set the limit in modes like Execution, where the only way to kill your opponent is supposed to be execution.

First they take away host names from the ranked matches and now they put in an invisible lives system. I love you Gears of War, but please give me some flexibility in our relationship!  

After a week long disappearence from Live, I come back to new swag on the marketplace for Gears of War, including a map pack, a new theme, and even a new patch. While the theme and the new maps are pretty sweet, the patch is somewhat of a burn.

view full story + comments

Oh, Mortal Kombat. Though you were pretty much created as a cheap American answer to the Street Fighter craze of the 90s, you became so much more. You were a landmark title in the game industry: You gave us beautiful fatalities, graphics that were stunning and shockingly realistic for their time, and helped to spark the birth of the rating system all games now use. But, like any great success, you had your share of ripoffs imitators trying to ride the bloody wave of your awesomeness, like the obscure, and probably better left forgotten Tattoo Assassins.

This offensively clunky, horrendously ugly, and utterly sucktacular crapfest featuring warriors who battled to the death using the raging power given to them by their tattoos, boasted about 2196 fatalities, which would be impressive if any of them were any good. Alas, Mortal Kombat, while you inspired and excited many of us, it seems that there are some who would have been better off left untouched by your greatness.

What do you call the thing that drives you to win at any costs in any endeavor; that Internal cocktail of honed skills, ruthless guile, pure instinct, and fevered adrenaline. That thing where your palms sweat, and your heart races while the thing that blocks out everything to part where all you can see, hear, smell, taste and feel is the moment you're standing in? I call it the competitive edge. A true achievement of a perfect state of focus.

I used to have that in spades. Somewhere though, I lost it. I don't know when, I don't know how, but, I lost it. Recently, however? I got it back. Find out how after the jump.

view full story + comments

(SPOILER WARNING - HIKARI INDUSTRIES IS NOT LIABLE FOR ANY SPOILERS THAT MAY BE GLEENED FROM READING THIS REVIEW)

Dead or Alive. The fighting game franchise is one that's captivated players in the arcades and on 5 consoles (PS1, Dreamcast, PS2, XBox and XBox 360) for years, with it's arcade style mechanics that cater to both the softcore and hardcore gamer. And really, what's not to love?

This game's got it all: The fighting, the girls, the costumes, the jigglies... I'm sorry, I'm getting off track, much like the creators of the Dead or Alive movie when they started working on it. I had the displeasure of seeing it recently, and I'm not going to beat around the bush: This movie was terrible. If you don't believe me use your l33t skills and get yourself a copy. Hit the jump for my review:

view full story + comments

For those of you who loved the last big update Mircosoft made to the XBox 360's Dashboard, be sure to sign on tomorrow as the fall update is slated to be ready for your downloading pleasure. What sorts of new freshness can we expect? • A new look for the XBL Marketplace and Arcade • Support for new accessories such as the wireless headset • Updates to video and DVD playback • Improved Xbox Live Vision camera support for changing room lighting while zooming • Improved Voice Chat Quality, and much, much more Head over to xbox.com for the full and meaty list of updates. Now, if only we could convince them to throw in more channels for voice chat or at least private chatrooms for at least up to four people for the next spring update, then we'll be set. Microsoft! Make it happen!

Ever wish that awesome new game you've been waiting for was turned into an awesome pair of sneakers? Well, wait no more! ... Sort of. A poster on the Gamertag Radio Forums, called PinkSage, decided to put her photoshop skills to the test and created the ultra sweet Gears of War basketball shoe. When Emergence Day hits, will you be stylin' in your Gears of War kicks?

Greetings, Destructoidians! I am Teksuo Hikari, and it would seem that my blogging journey has brought me to Destructoid. Some of you might know me from a little site called redassedbaboon.com. *crickets* Anyone? No one? Alright, fine! So, I'm not that well known. But, I have been writing game news, reviews and articles for a little over a year now, and have given serious thought to a career in game journalism. Just about anywhere you find the name Teksuo Hikari, chances are that's me. (Yes, if you come across my MySpace page, that is Kasumi from Dead or Alive 4, and yes, I do have an obsession with DOA.) I got started writing here after a friend of mine (Faith Naked) informed me that Dtoid was always looking for new writers, and I myself, was actually looking for a new place to post. Now that I'm here, I shall grace you all with my writing prowess and my gift of gab! That, or bore you to sleep with my mindless ramblings and over useage of the word "jigglies." Either way, I'm here now, and love me or hate me, I'm going to try to make things very interesting.