If pictures are worth a thousand words, videos are probably worth a whole lot more. This is why it’s incredible that all words escape us after watching the new Tony Hawk: Ride promo.  So maybe the best route would be to tell you how the video made us feel.  First, we were confused, followed by a weird “birds and the bees” vibe, and ultimately left us chuckling as if we heard a really lame “knock-knock” joke.

What impression did the new ad leave on you, and more importantly, come November 17, are you going to be gettin’ your Ride on?

If you’re anything like us, you love getting stuff before the general public.  It doesn’t really matter what it is, as long as you get it first, you’re happy.  We’re here to make your Monday a little happier.

If you act quick, you can get early access to the Bayonetta demo.  It’s only available to the first 40,000 people that sign up, and there is one small catch.  It requires that you sign up for a free Sega Pass membership.  If that isn’t really your thing, we understand.  The rest of you – stop lollygagging; there’s exclusivity to be had.

EA Sports just dealt a big blow to the UFC video game franchise by ’striking’ a deal with UFC’s main competitor Strikeforce for their upcoming game EA Sports MMA.  Strikeforce is a premier mixed-martial arts league which features fighters such as Fedor Emelianenko and Brett Rogers as the face of the league.  This is significant because UFC threatened to blacklist any fighters from their league that would choose to appear in EA Sports MMA.  So, it appears that EA Sports will definitely have a talented cast to base their game around.

This announcement comes right on the heels of Strikeforce’s Primetime event on CBS Saturday, November 7th.  It’ll feature Emelianenko vs. Rogers, and Jake Shields vs. Jason Miller.

UFC: Undisputed was a surprisingly big hit with an overall positive reception.  Some of this can be attributed to America’s MMA craze.  Everyone knows that EA Sports has a track record of doing a very good job on all the games that they make.  So, our question is this – Do you think that EA Sports MMA has a chance to sell just as well or better than UFC: Undisputed based on EA’s reputation, or do you think that UFC is just too big of a name in the world right now to be dethroned?  Let us know in the comments!

Gyromancer is a new puzzle-RPG game developed by the creative efforts of Square Enix and PopCap.  An imaginative twist to the traditional RPG style gameplay, players battle enemies via stunning and challenging puzzle encounters. Players are challenged to solve objectives that range from defeating beasts that block their way, to overcoming puzzles before time runs out.

The game will be available on November 18 for 1200 MSPoints (or $14.99).

FEATURES

• Assume the role of Rivel, a deadly mage, as he rids Aldemona Wood of a brooding darkness through over 10 compelling game stages

• Experience an all-new battle system based on the popular puzzle game Bejeweled Twist

• Command over 50 unique beasts! Powerful new beasts can be acquired as players gain levels in battle

• Search the map for items, coins and new beasts to join Rivel’s fight

• Participate in the online ranking system to register high scores

[Last week, one of our new writers had the chance to visit EA to get a hands-on demo with SKATE 3.]

A week ago I was invited out to EA’s Redwood Studios to get some hands on time with SKATE 3, the newest entry to the franchise.  When SKATE hit the market in 2007, it effectively started from scratch, ignoring any established norms the skating genre was used to.  As a result, we got a very complete game that sported a very unique and intuitive control system.  Its sequel improved upon the first, adding tricks, story, and (most important) the ability to get off your board.  I was definitely looking forward to see what the team over at Black Box had in store for me, and I was quite happy with the results.

So far it seems that SKATE 3 is shaping up to be a real solid game when it hits the shelves next May.  The first two entries, while revolutionary and solid were plagued by a few nagging problems.  Luckily I can say the team has really focused on refining the formula rather than reinventing the wheel.

I got a chance to get a feel for the game as a whole, in addition to playing each of the new team-based multiplayer modes.  First I’ll look at some of the general stuff that’s new, then I’ll detail the new team-based multiplayer modes.  Let’s jump right in…

New City

While the first two games had us skating the streets of San Vanelona, we’ll now be taking on the Port Carverton.  The new city is broken up into three bureaus: the University, Downtown, and the Industrial Section.  I got to spend a substantial amount of time free-skating in the University, and I really liked what I found.  A big part of the game concept has always been the ability to turn any part of the city into a skate zone.  The area I got to play around in had a nice looking courtyard filled with ledges to be grinded and linked into lots of pointage.  What’s great is how real the location seemed.  It didn’t feel fake, as if the designers were trying to force skate spots into a zone, rather it felt like a real University campus.  It even features a football stadium with a huge statue of a shark outside.  Naturally the stadium’s roof supports just so happen to function really well as ramps, allowing you to get big air and jump the shark.

I was also quite happy to hear Port Carverton was going to have much less anti-skate security and random obstructions to skating.  The previous game’s storyline featured and upped level of security officers and arbitrary skating blocks, and while it added some bit of depth to the story it detracted from the free flowing skating that makes the game so much fun to play.  This time it seems the team has listened to its community, which is never a bad thing.

New Tricks

While the trick catalogue has been quite robust thus far, there was a demand by the community for some additions, and Black Box responded.  In SKATE 3 we get treated to the dark catch, darkslide, and underflip.

The dark catch is simply a grab mid-air of the board when it’s upside-down (rather dark-side down).  If you transition this into a grind, it becomes the darkslide.  This is triggered by hitting the right bumper mid-air to flip the board, which is simple enough.  Be careful though, since trying to land with the board still upside down gets you a faceplant.  You have to flip it back again to land it.

I really liked playing around with the underflip.  An underflip is essentially getting halfway through a kickflip or heelflip, stopping the board from spinning with your feet, then flipping the board back.  What’s nice about it is how intuitive it has been implemented.  A kickflip is simply flicking the right stick down, then up to the right (a heelflip goes to the left).  To turn the trick into an underflip, you simply flick the stick quickly right back down mid-trick.  This simple addition is an easy, fun, and intuitive way to rack up tricks in a sequence, which is key to getting big points.

Other New Features

Again, the community has been heard, and skate.Reel and skate.Graphics are being expanded.  These are the tools the community can use to create and publish custom skate videos and images, respectively.  These tools have allowed the SKATE community to show off their creative side, using the game as an engine to create a lot of their own personalized content.

What’s even bigger is the announcement of skate.Park.  As it was explained to me, if you hate looking all around town for that perfect spot to link a grind, you can build it.  Wish there was a ramp and a rail near this one spot?  Make it.  I remember being 11 years old or so, staying up past 1 in the morning (a big deal for 11) playing with a demo of a skate park editor.  Bringing one to SKATE  is definitely exciting.  While I only saw a few clips of a basic looking park editor, it’s still in an early stage of development.  Be on the lookout for more solid information on this exciting addition.

And last but not least, the off-board character movement has been completely refined!  While it was great that you could get off your board in SKATE 2, the movement was sloppy and slippery.  I’m happy to report that this has been completely fixed.  The controls now flow seamlessly from on-board to off.

Be on the lookout for more coverage and an interview soon!

Oh , my stars and garters! Teaming up in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 just got more marvelous now that the newest downloadable content has arrived. Available until December 31st, this DLC not only unlocks new characters but also four new missions. For 800 Microsoft Points, players gain access to Carnage, Psylocke, Cable, Magneto and Black Panther. Also included are new challenge missions, gauntlet objectives, and boss encounters. But wait, there’s more! Also available on the Marketplace is the option to download the infamous Juggernaut for 160 Microsoft Points. Kind of makes you want to get out there and save the planet, huh?

Halo Waypoint, the new virtual home for all things “Halo,” launches today on Xbox LIVE, and will be the exclusive destination for full-episode previews of “Halo Legends” beginning Saturday, Nov. 7. Available for “Halo” fans worldwide following a successful preview period, Halo Waypoint brings all the richness of the “Halo” universe together in one place. Halo Waypoint features daily updates of fresh, exciting content such as developer interviews, trailers and screenshots, exclusive video footage, community activities and the latest “Halo” news.

In addition, Halo Waypoint includes an innovative career system that tracks players’ accomplishments across multiple “Halo” games and gives them new ways to show off their heroic gameplay feats. By downloading and “enlisting” in Halo Waypoint, players will be rewarded with a variety of Bungie-created “Halo 3: ODST” Avatar Awardables for attaining specific Achievements in the game. Rewards vary from stylish T-shirts to full sets of ODST armor. The experience is retroactive, so if players have already unlocked the requisite Achievements, the awards will be ready for them once they enlist in Halo Waypoint.

The first preview episode of the highly anticipated anime series, “Halo Legends,” will debut only on Halo Waypoint. Set to be distributed on Feb. 9, 2010 by Warner Home Video, the rich anthology of anime short films will tell all-new stories in the epic “Halo” saga.

Written and created by an array of renowned anime studios and produced by 343 Industries, “Halo Legends” will explore never-before-told stories based on themes and characters in the vast “Halo” universe. Sponsored by the U.S. Air Force, previews of four new “Halo Legends” episodes will be available only on Halo Waypoint during 24-hour live-streaming events on Xbox LIVE over the next three months.

The first “Halo Legends” preview episode, “The Babysitter,” is created by famed anime house STUDIO4?C, and follows the story of a group of ODST’s who reluctantly accept a Spartan sniper into their strike team. As they embark on a perilous mission to assassinate a high-ranking Covenant Prophet, old rivalries must be reexamined if the mission is to succeed. Watch what happens as the mission progresses into hostile territory, and both the Spartan and the ODST’s discover something important about the other.

You can download the free portal by visiting this link: http://www.360sync.com/HaloWaypoint

EA Sports announced today that a playable demo of NCAA Basketball 10 is now available for download on Xbox LIVE Marketplace for all Xbox LIVE Gold Subscribers. Gamers can play out the storied rivalry between Duke and 2009 National Champion, University of North Carolina, presented with full CBS broadcast integration. The demo will be available to Xbox LIVE Silver members on November 12^th, 2009.

NCAA Basketball 10 captures all the energy and excitement that is unique to college basketball. The latest edition has experienced a renewed focus on gameplay improvement, and features a deeper concentration on team styles of play. NCAA Basketball 10 has also improved the presentation by fully integrating CBS and ESPN broadcast features.

NCAA Basketball 10 will be available in North America on November 18^th.

You can download the free demo here: http://www.360sync.com/NCAA10Demo

It seems like we’ve had a lot of stuff to give away lately.  From games, to soda, to shirts, we’ve been lucky enough lately to get ahold of a lot of prizes to pass along to our readers.  The next item we have for you guys is the brand new D3 Publisher title – Ben 10 Alien Force: Vilgax Attacks.

Here’s how we’ll run this contest:  Leave a comment below telling us what’s your favorite movie with aliens.  For a bonus entry, leave us a reply on Twitter with “@360Sync” and “#Ben10″ in it.  Easy enough, right?

Rules: Open to US and Canadian residents, contest ends at 12:00 am EST November 9.

Last week, we showed you the first Left 4 Dead 2 commercial.  Today, Valve released the second tv spot, and while it’s not quite in the same vein as the first, it’s definitely just as fantastic.  The new ad has us throwing around words like “rad“, “epic“, and “hella-wicked“.  It also makes us wonder if Valve hired Michael Bay and George Romero to start making their commercials.  Regardless, when November 17th rolls around, they won’t be able to throw enough zombies our way.