With each passing year the gaming industry grows more and more competitive. Developers and publishers often take extreme measure to help differentiate their title from the crowd and in so doing, place lofty expectations within the hearts and minds of gamers the world over. On occasion, a particular game actually lives up to the hype, thereby granting a memorable experience to its players and inevitable success to its creators/marketers. With the recent release of God of War III, we’re reminded of how this scenario can play out…How a game with a huge fan base and ENORMOUS HYPE can actually fulfill expectations and deliver a sequel that not only surpasses its predecessors, but delivers a sense of hope that sometimes gamers don’t have to worry about being let down.

So, with that in mind, I pose the following question to you in this week’s MBC Topic Starter:

WHICH GAMES DELIVERED THE GOODS AND LIVED UP TO THE HYPE?

Obviously, you can pull from any generation and any console, but the goal remains the same. Tell us about a game you were SO FRICKIN’ PUMPED FOR that DIDN’T let you down! We’ve discussed the opposite spectrum of this topic before, so now it’s time to explore the positive side of hype.

Simple enough, right? Now, get busy thinking of the games that delivered, comment below with your Member BatleCry, check back daily to see if your Cry gets featured, and most of all, CRY HAVOC AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!!

Peace,
DK

According to Sony, European God of War fans looking for more carnage than most doctors would prescribe can now anxiously await the release of the God of War Collection (€39.99/£24.99 RRP) and the newly revealed God of War Trilogy. The Collection features both God of War I & II while the God of War Trilogy, as one might suspect, will contain all three uber epic games in one convenient bundle. The Trilogy, which is currently only announced for a European launch, will set you back €89.99 (£64.99) and will release alongside the Collection on April 30 in the UK, Ireland, Germany and Austria, April 29 in Australia and New Zealand, and April 29 elsewhere in PAL territories.

So, there appear to be lots of options on the table for God of War fans (although we’re awaiting word of the Trilogy shipping in the US), but no matter which option you choose, we can confirm that they all end in blood…LOTS OF BLOOD!

You can check out the God of War Trilogy box art right here and we’ll keep you in the know about its potential release outside of Europe.

Via Joystiq

Empowering the EBA Community with a voice to collaboratively review the industry’s hottest titles, the EpicBattleAxe.com uREVIEW (about) delivers real insight from real gamers about The GOOD, The BAD, and The UGLY pertaining to the biggest games in the world. This is the EpicBattleAxe.com uREVIEW for God of War III. Let’s get started:
Read the rest of this entry…

Greetings! As the discussion continues this week on delays and whether they help or hurt the games we play, we bring you another stellar Member BattleCry. We’re seeing a lot of good points raised in the dialogue on this subject and many people are pointing out two situations; one where the delay helped and the other where not so much.

Coky14 checks in with not only two such examples, but also so insightful comments on how gamers perception affects their attitude about the delay as well as the psychological impact of  a firm street date being broken vs a vague release window changing. Let’s turn things over to him…
Read the rest of this entry…

Love God of War? Love Vegas? Love…PIZZA!?!?! Well, Sony and GameStop recently announced the “Be the Envy of the Gods” sweepstakes that can potentially turn your God of War III pre-order into a palatable pesto pie. Basically, folks who pre-order the PS3-exclusive can use their receipt code or online confirmation number to enter the contest once per week on the sweepstakes’ website to be eligible to win both instant and weekly grand prizes. Said weekly grand prizes include a new Sony Home Entertainment System, a VIP experience at a premier music experience at either Coachella or Lollapalooza, free pizza for a year, or an MMA VIP experience in Las Vegas.

Anyone who pre-orders will get the “Phantom of Chaos” character skin (accessible after you beat the game) while daily instant prizes include things like Avatars, digital strategy guides, the God of War III Theme for PS3, and more.

Anyway, if you’re interested, you can check the details out here. Unfortunately, the sweepstakes is only open to “legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia”…It’s one of THOSE again.

What’s up everybody!!! DK here kicking off yet another week of EPICNESS with this week’s Member BattleCries. If you haven’t watched EBC Skirmish 063 as of yet or checked out this week’s topic starter post (What the hell is wrong w/you?), then lemme clue you in. This week we’re taking on the (somewhat sensitive) topic of the best console exclusives…ya know, those gems that you rush out and BUY A SYSTEM FOR??? We’ve asked you to talk up your favs and let us know which franchise exclusives you swear by and so far, you all are responding rather well.

Now, lemme say this out of the gate gang…KEEP THE CONVERSATION CONSTRUCTIVE! I know these things get heated, passionate, whatever, but we’re here to discuss the games we LOVE, not the ones we HATE. So, with that in mind (and out of the way), let’s kick things off with this week’s first MBC which comes from Axe Head Jinxstar and goes out to the most bad-ass console exclusive character of all…
Read the rest of this entry…

Archers nock and ready the firestorm, its time for another edition of EpicBattleCry! In this week’s skirmish we discuss the recently announced (and temporarily 360 exclusive) Modern Warefare 2 DLC, Left 4 Dead 2’s ‘The Passing’ downloadable content, the plethora (yeah, we went there) of pre-order bonuses announced for Red Dead Redemption, and the announcement of Ghost Recon Future Soldier.

The Microsoft X10 conference in San Francisco provided gamers with a heaping pile of new media and details for some of the biggest titles coming out this year on 360. We, your humble Axe Lords, run down the list and pick the games we’ll be on the lookout for in 2010.

The Battle Cry of the Week goes to the Hughes Bros film adaptation of the anime classic Akira, 8 Bit Horse, a new web-shrine to all things pixel & sprite from Mommy’s Best Games’ creator Nathan Fouts, the new Chaos Will Rise trailer for God of War III, and the original Fallout.

Read the rest of this entry…

I just checked my watch…It’s promo time!

God of War fans, tonight’s episode of GameTrailers TV is gonna do lots of things…Deliver new info and footage from Splinter Cell: Conviction, showcase the sweet looking MLB 10: The Show, promote world peace, and teach you how to make a nifty flashlight using just toothpicks and expired Pop-Tarts (not really), BUT THE THING IT WILL MOST BE REMEMBERED FOR???

GOD OF WAR III

Yeah, you see, there’s gonna be brand-new, world premiere, galactic exclusive footage from the game that you’ve never seen before (unless you used the Pop-Tarts and toothpicks to make a time machine…) and guess what…IT’S FREAKIN AWESOME!

More info, vid promo over on my GT Gamepad, so go check it out and be sure to watch tonight’s GTTV to see what everyone will be talking about this time tomorrow.

Hey everybody, DK here getting another week of Member BattleCries rolling on EpicBattleAxe.com and after last week’s great conversation about the Role Playing Genre (here), I’m really stoked to check out what you all have to say about this week’s topic. Now, with the upcoming release of Dante’s Inferno and ensuing marketing blitz that will no doubt put the game on EVERYONE’s radar, it got me thinking about the action/adventure genre and what TRULY makes for a great experience within that realm. So, I’m opening the floor to you, the EBA Community, to speak your mind and let us know which action/adventure titles you think have set the bar. Here’s this week’s MBC topic:

WHICH ACTION/ADVENTURE GAMES DO YOU CONSIDER AS GENRE DEFINING AND WHY?

As always, there’s really no limit as to what you can submit. Any game, any genre, it’s all good. We want to know your thoughts on the topic as we prepare for Dante’s Inferno and of course God of War III. We’ll be featuring a new Member BattleCry each day here on the ‘Axe and then highlighting the Member BattleCry of the week on the next skirmish of the EpicBattleCry video podcast. Hey, speaking of Dante’s Inferno, be sure to cast your vote in this week’s EBA poll to let us know your level of expectation regarding the game.

Alright gang, let’s hear what you have to say! Check back daily to see if your MBC has been featured and to see what all of the other ‘Axe Heads are saying.

Cheers!
DK

A post on the official US PlayStation blog today highlights the fact that God of War fans can circle March 16, 2010 on their calendar as the day that God of War III will hit store shelves in the US. Additionally, the post delivered the game’s final box art and a box shot of the Ultimate Edition, both of which you can see right here.

Lastly, those wanting to see a brand new God of War III trailer can look forward to checking out the February 11th airing of GameTrailers TV on SPIKE (promo!).

So, anyone pumped for this game???