The Got Game crew would like to take a second to congratulate the New York Giants for proving EA Sports correct again. Going into the weekend, Las Vegas was backing the New England Patriots as this year’s Superbowl Champions and the annual Madden Superbowl simulation favoured the New York Giants. Since the Giants won, that means the the simulation’s correct prediction score (since they started in 2004) goes to 7 and 2, and Las Vegas is now 5 and 4 in the same stretch of time.

Drew Brees (quarterback with the New Orleans Saints), Jimmy Graham (tight end with the New Orleans Saints), and Tim Tebow (quarterback with the Denver Broncos) playing Madden 12.

I guess Vegas can’t win them all… well actually they could if they ever bet on the location of the weekly post-broadcast podcast. They would win every week because they know that you can find the podcasted version of our latest show in the audio file below this paragraph. This week it’s the post-broadcast podcast of our February 5th 2012  show.

Download

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This week on Got Game, along with the Superbowl predictions, the crew discusses:

• Jose Baustista landing on the Canadian cover of MLB The Show from Sony San Diego
• The vote that will allow gamers to decide the cover athlete of Madden 13
• The details surrounding the DLC season pass for UFC Undisputed 3

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We’ll also hear World Series Champion Curt Schilling, and Lead World Designer Colin Campbell, talk about their upcoming title: Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning.

Image courtesy of http://reckoning.amalur.com/

IN OUR REVIEW SECTION WE’LL LOOK AT SOULCALIBUR V.

AND THE RECENTLY FREE TO PLAY MMO: STAR TREK ONLINE.

As everyone knows, the people who love Call of Duty, but only own a PS3, tend to get screwed over. Nothing malicious was ever meant by it (I think), but Microsoft was able to give Activision enough money to ink a deal that ensures that all the new Call of Duty content will only be on the Xbox360 for roughly the first month (and change) after release.

However,we now know that Microsoft’s exclusivity will be over soon. Activision has announced that the first bit of content for the PlayStation’s Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® 3’s Content Season will be available this February 28th. The PlayStation season will be a lot like the Xbox season with  a number of new content packs being released over the course of 9 or so months.

Like with the Xbox, the first bit of Elite content for the PlayStation will consist of 2 new maps: Liberation and Piazza. To quote Activision, Liberation will be “a militarized Central Park in the heart of NYC, featuring a vast landscape ripe for long-range sniper and LMG kills. Mounted turrets on opposing ends of the map offer overwhelming firepower to anyone brave enough to man them.”

In Activision’s words again, Piazza will be “set in an idyllic seaside village, Italian getaway gone rogue, where blind corners and a complex network of branching pathways pose danger at every turn. Visceral close-quarters combat dominates in Piazza, and attacks from above and below are an ever-constant threat.”

Back when we first wrote about the Xbox360′s Call of Duty content season, Activision also told us that non-premium (a.k.a. – gamers who didn’t pay for Call of Duty Elite subscriptions) will also have the chance to buy this content outside of Call of Duty Elite. They were vague on the specifics, but at some point in March of 2012 those gamers can start buying this Call of Duty DLC in chunks that Activision is calling Modern Warfare 3 content collections.

THQ has announced that they will be offering a large selection of DLC for this month’s UFC Undisputed 3. The short version of this story is that you can purchase a variety of new fighters, historic UFC fights, career boosts and early access to unlockable content from the Xbox LIVE® Marketplace or PlayStation®Network for a one-time cost of 1360 Microsoft Points, or $16.99 in cash, when the game is released on February 14th.

If for any reason a season pass is not your thing, you can buy every piece individually over Microsoft’s or Sony’s marketplaces. The pricing gets a little confusing, so to keep it simple I copied and pasted that info directly from the THQ press release we got. Here’s how that DLC will breaks down:

Fighter Packs

• Fight of the Night Pack
o Featuring UFC fighters renowned for having the most exciting fights of the night – Joe Lauzon, Rory MacDonald, Charles Oliveira and Sam Stout, along with former UFC fighter Anthony Johnson – the Fight of the Night Pack will be available for a suggested purchase cost of 400 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360 or $4.99 USD via PlayStation Network in March 2012.

• International Pack
o Featuring UFC fighters “The Korean Zombie” Jung Chan-Sung, England’s John Hathaway, Germany’s Pascal Kraus, Australia’s Kyle Noke and Italian Alessio Sakara, the International Pack will be available for a suggested purchase cost of 400 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360 or $4.99 USD via PlayStation Network in April 2012.

Ultimate Fights Collections

• Ultimate Submissions
o The Ultimate Submissions collection, currently scheduled for release at launch and available free of charge on both videogame platforms, will include:
 UFC 109: Mike Swick vs. Paulo Thiago
 UFC 115: Mirko Cro Cop vs. Pat Barry
 UFC 116: Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin
 UFC Fight Night 19: Nate Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard
 UFC Fight Night 21: Kenny Florian vs. Takanori Gomi

• Ultimate Rivals
o The Ultimate Rivals collection, currently scheduled for release at launch and available free of charge on both videogame platforms, will include:
 UFC 92: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva
 UFC 111: Georges St-Pierre vs. Dan Hardy
 UFC 114: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Rashad Evans
 UFC 117: Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen
 The Ultimate Fighter® Season 9: Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida

• Ultimate Upsets
o The Ultimate Upsets collection, currently scheduled for release in March 2012 at a suggested purchase cost of 400 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360 or $4.99 USD via PlayStation Network, will include:
 UFC 92: Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
 UFC 109: Chael Sonnen vs. Nate Marquardt
 UFC 112: Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn
 UFC 116: Chris Leben vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama
 UFC 121: Cain Velasquez vs. Brock Lesnar

• Mixed Bag
o The Mixed Bag collection, currently scheduled for release in April 2012 at a suggested purchase cost of 400 Microsoft Points for Xbox 360 or $4.99 USD via PlayStation Network, will include:
 Best of PRIDE® – Final Conflict 2003: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Mirko Cro Cop
 Submissions – UFC 125: Takanori Gomi vs. Clay Guida
 Upsets – UFC 110: Joe Stevenson vs. George Sotiropoulos
 Rivals – UFC 124: Stefan Struve vs. Sean McCorkle
 Knockouts – UFC 120: Dan Hardy vs. Carlos Condit

UFC Heavyweight Championship contender Alistair Overeem can also be added to your copy of the game by doing some social media stuff on the UFC Undisputed Facebook page. However, if you hate Facebook, you’ll also be able to purchase the same virtual Overeem for a dollar in cash or 80 Microsoft points at some point in March 2012.

I don’t think anything could prepare you for this, but this is Momin’s current phone.

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Feel free to take a closer look!

Now, I could be slightly incorrect when it comes to the timeline of Momin’s iPhone, but if my memory is correct, Momin has used this particular phone for longer than Got Game has been on the air. It hasn’t always been this damaged, but it’s been damaged for so long that I no longer remember what damaged it in the first place.

We really need to help that guy pick a new phone, so feel free to fill this blog’s comment section with your thoughts on the matter. The question is iPhone or Android, but a more detailed explanation about this situation can be found by listening audio file below this paragraph. That file is the weekly post-broadcast podcast, but we just call it the January 28th 2012 edition of Got Game.

Download

This week on Got Game the crew discusses:

• Rumors that the next Xbox360 will not let you play used games
• The possibility that Nintendo will change how they market the Wii-U
• The idea of a new hand-held platform being released by SNK Playmore for Neo-Geo games
• Microsoft’s winter of arcade, actually known as the Xbox House Party
• The first pair of new maps for Call of Duty Elite being released
• Rumors that Microsoft is planning to replace their points with a dollar to dollar money system
• Your thoughts on the MLSE application on Xbox Live

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AND IN OUR REVIEW SECTION WE LOOK AT Q.U.B.E. FOR THE PC.

Well this something I would never expect to happen!

I felt so strongly against the possibilities that I would have bet $50 against the idea and would have remained confident that I was right until the end of time… at least that was true until Sony PlayStation released this trailer.

Jose Bautista on the cover of MLB12 The Show? Well deserved for sure, but insane none the less! At least until you add one thought to the end of my previous sentence: Jose Bautista will be on the cover of MLB12 The Show in Canada.

The United States will still have Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez on their cover when this game is released in North America on March 6th.

Long story short, a Youtube user named Homer49 has posted a number of videos of his PS Vita playing various PlayStation 3 games. I’ve put one of those videos in this blog post, but fair warning that you may experience some trouble understanding Homer49 if English is your only language due to the fact that Homer49 appears to speak Spanish. That being said, the visuals of Homer49′s YouTube videos are hard to deny in and of themselves.

Although, I would caution you to not get extremely excited just yet, because the PS Vita is not actually playing the most recent Mortal Kombat game. It is simply streaming the game from the nearby PlayStation 3 while acting as the controller. Surprisingly, this is actually a functionality that Sony promised all Vitas would have when they’re launched next month, so why is this video a big deal?

When Sony discussed this streaming functionality at last year’s Tokyo Game Show, they said that the graphical level of a PS3 game being streamed on a Vita would be similar to that of the 2005 PlayStation Portable (PSP). However, these videos that YouTube user Homer49 made, depict a Vita playing games at a resolution that would make my laptop jealous. I would even bet that if tested, they could even qualify as high definition video according to standard 1080p measurements.

What will the future hold for the PS Vita?

For the first time since October 2011, I am happy to announce that the full Got Game crew has been reunited! Zack, Momin, Bryan and Christine are back as a team to bring you this week’s Got Game!

Now it may have been 3 months since we last had a complete crew, but the weekly post-broadcast podcast has always been in the same location. Even Jury Duty Zack or Missing Momin can tell you that you’ll find our January 22nd 2012 show in the audio file below this paragraph.

This week on Got Game, the full crew discusses:

• Our hands on time with Konami’s NeverDead
• The new MLSE application for the Xbox360
• More details about the upcoming UFC Undisputed 3
• EA’s plans to create a roster update for NBA JAM: On Fire Edition
• The demo for Curt Schilling’s Kingdoms of Amalur:Reckoning
• The demo for EA’s Grand Slam Tennis 2
• Bioshock Infinite’s 1999 mode
• News that the 3DS will be getting both demos and a 2nd circle pad joystick

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We also talked about the new Resident Evil 6 trailer, so as promised here’s the trailer:

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AND IN THIS WEEK’S REVIEW SECTION, FRIEND OF THE SHOW JUSTIN AMIRKHANI JOINED US TO REVIEW THE NEW STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC MMO FROM EA AND BIOWARE.

It looks like the show has become cursed by something that only wants 3 people on any episode of Got Game.

For the final 3 months of 2011, we were down a man because Zack was on jury duty. In 2012, Momin has mysteriously disappeared for every episode of our weekly radio extravaganza. We’re hoping to finally get the crew back together for the next show, but regardless of what happens, you’ll be able to find the post-broadcast podcast of that show in the same location every week.

That location is the audio file below this sentence, so please enjoy the podcast version of our radio show from January 15th 2012.

Download

This week the shortened bench discusses:

• Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 having Kinect controls
• The return and revamp of the perfect game competition for MLB 2K12
• The ongoing escapades of putting UFC fights on the new Xbox Dashboard
• Word from the Consumer Electronics Show that Sony has no plans to announce the PlayStation 4 at E3 2012

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Plus Matt Hartley, Editor of the National Post’s Tech-Desk, joins us to talk about the top gaming stories coming out of the Consumer Electronic Show this year.

Image of CES show floor courtesy of www.yfrog.com/oes3fkwj

AND CHOPLIFTER HD IN OUR REVIEW SECTION.

Finally, don’t forget that you can always get MP3 copies of our latest Got Game episodes directly from our website, or off our iTunes page.

We’ve been told that it will start with 2 maps called Liberation and Piazza, but it looks like we’ll have to wait longer for specific information about these maps.

What we do know is that they’ll be followed up with nine consecutive months of downloadable content that commences on January 24th for Xbox Live users and at an unknown later date for everyone else.

The schedule will run from January to September, with Call of Duty Elite premium members on Xbox LIVE getting at least 20 updates of new content this season. We have no idea if the other consoles will get 20 content drops as well, but everyone’s content drops should include new multiplayer maps, Special Ops Missions, and new game modes at some point.

Also, gamers who want to buy this content without joining the subscription service will be able to buy the content separately by purchasing Modern Warfare 3 Content Collections. However, those gamers will have to wait until March 2012 to get their hands on the first collection.

I’ll keep this post short because I’m not the biggest Tennis guy out there. I leave all of the tennis game reviews in the hands of Zack because I am actually the smallest tennis fan out there. That being said, please forgive any factual mistakes made in this specific blog post.

However, I doubt there will be any factual mistakes, because I am writing this post to let you know that the EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis Two demo is now available on Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network.

Virtual Novak Djokovic

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And while I’m still missing that needed tennis knowledge, even I have to admit that they’ve given out an is impressive list of promises. If they can actually follow through is something we’ll have to discuss on Got Game when Grand Slam Tennis Two is released.

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In the meantime, and according to EA Sports, Grand Slam Tennis 2 will include:

• An all-new Total Racquet Control system were you control every shot, smashing forehands, and backhands with the right analog stick.
• A championship mode were you compete for all four major championships in succession – including Wimbledon which is licenced for exclusive use in the EA SPORTS Grand Slam Tennis franchise.
• PlayStation Move Support.
• Legends of Now and Then including: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Bjorn Borg, Maria Sharapova, Serena and Venus Williams.
• Professional, Realistic, Organic (or what they call P.R.O.) AI. However, (and only time will tell if this is true or just my lack of knowledge but) it sounds like they’ve basically mo-caped all the legends that will appear in this game.
• ESPN Grand Slam Tournament Classics were you can relive some of the most memorable moments in tennis. Matches like Borg versus McEnroe, and of course Nadal versus Federer.

Virtual Maria Sharapova