Iron Man 3 Trailer!

Next Xbox WILL NOT require an "Always On" Internet Connection

An internal Microsoft document recently relieved many gamer's fears about the Next Xbox. While the system might require you to use the internet when purchasing a game, movie, etc., you will still be able to enjoy your media even if you are not plugged in to the internet after the purchase is complete!

Defiance hits 1,000,000 users!

Defiance (Available for Xbox 360, Playstation 3, and PC) has hit 1,000,000 users in less than a month! Defiance is is one of the first games to bring MMO style play to this console generation and the first to do it right! Co-op? Check. Competitive? Check. Massive world? Check. Integration between TV show and game? Check! This is a must buy for any gamer. Got five minutes to kill before you head out? Complete a quick side mission. Ready for an all night game night with your buddies? Done!

Injustice Only $34.99 Next Week at Toys R Us!

Next week, Toys R Us will be selling Injustice: Gods Among Us for only $34.99! This price is applicable to all systems and valid from 4/28 - 5/4.

Tomb Raider Only $39.99!

Groupon has the new Tomb Raider reboot for only $39.99! This is a possible game of the year contender and I can't recommend this game enough!

Catching Fire Trailer!

Red Dead Redemption GOY Only $14.99!

Best Buy has Red Dead Redemption Game of the Year Edition for only $14.99 today only via their deal of the day!

Jurassic Park is Back!

20 years later, Jurassic Park is pulling in the fans and first-timers. After doing more than $18 million on opening weekend, it's obvious that Jurassic Park is a franchise people want more of. Only 430 days until Jurassic Park 4!

Injustice Gods Among Us Demo

In.jus.tice = Lack of fairness or justice. An unjust act or occurrence. 

Injustice...that's exactly what Injustice Gods Among Us should be considered. Are we really expected to pay $60 for Mortal Kombat with some new character models, settings, and moves?! That's what I felt like after playing the demo for ten minutes. This game was a big blip on my radar after reading all kinds of previews of how this game was going to be totally different from Warner Brother's Mortal Kombat that was released two years ago. Life would be pretty easy for all of us if we too could get away with saying one thing and doing another.

Defiance Review

Can someone please tell me why in the world there are NO reviews for Defiance?! Often times, reviews come out days if not weeks before the actual release of a game. In a time of year where there are so few games being released, it is astonishing to me that not a single site has posted a review for Defiance. The perplexity of this situation is multiplied by the fact that this is one of the first ever MMO released for the Xbox 360! If anyone has any information leading to the apprehension of a review of Defiance for Xbox 360, I would be forever in your debt!

Defiance...Join The Fight!

2000 Microsoft Points for $19.99!

Best Buy is giving away 400 Free Microsoft Points when you buy a 1600 point card for only $19.99!

DuckTales Remastered Trailer!

This was by far one of the greatest NES platforming games! Now we get to experience it all over again in glorious HD!

1 Experience = 5 Reasons to Hate Gamestop Even More!

Last week, I pre-ordered Gears of War Judgement from gamestop.com. The one and only reason I decided to give Gamestop my money was so that I could get early access to the Gamestop exclusive Overrun beta. The only problem is that Gamestop NEVER sent me the code! On Sunday night, the code still hadn't arrived so I decided I was just going to cancel my pre-order. Conveniently, gamestop.com's order cancelling tool wasn't working at that time. (Somehow everything else on the site worked perfectly fine.) No big deal I thought, I'll just try it again on Monday. Wrong. Still "not working."  Frustrated, I emailed Gamestop and told them to cancel my order. One day later, I finally heard back from them. However, it was not to confirm that my order had been canceled, but instead to let me know that my order had shipped! Even more frustrated this time, I wrote them another email telling them that I wanted to cancel my order and that I tried two different days to do it via their website and even emailed them another time. One day later, I got an email telling me I should have just canceled the order via their website! ...Gamestop you suck!

Bioshock Inffinite IGN Review!

Best Buy's 2 Dale Video Game Sale is Up and Running!

Bestbuy.com has started it's 2 Day video game sale today! Now is your chance to pick up dozens of games for a fraction of their normal price! (Prototype 2 for $4.99?!) Most are already sold out online so you'll have to go old school and check out what's available in store.

TVGP...Simply The Best

If you've been looking for a good video game podcast, let me save you some time. That Video Game Podcast (TVGP) is simply the best. These guys have been doing their podcast for over five years now without missing a week! They are honest, hilarious, intelligent and family friendly! I can guarantee your not going to find that in ANY other video game podcast! Check them out at tvgp.tv today!

Snake Eyes Vs. Storm Shadow Trailer!

Gears of War Judgement Beta Thoughts

 

     "What in the world?" That's exactly what I thought to myself as I played Gears of War Judgement's Overrun Beta. Not "what in the world" happened to the strategy of the game or "what in the world" did People Can Fly do to the control scheme. Instead, I was merely thinking "what in the world" are journalist even talking about these days?!
     For MONTHS, I have been reading about the changes that were coming with People Can Fly's iteration of Gears of War. I was nervous about the increased game-play speed. I was concerned about the "Call of Duty" control scheme. I was apprehensive about the class system. However, all of that concern went away within the first five minutes of trying out the Beta because Gears of War: Judgement plays and looks just like Gears of War 3. If I hadn't played over 250 hours of Gears 3, I probably wouldn't have even noticed that the menu changed, the color pallet is a little brighter, and the characters move a hair faster.
     Don't get me wrong. I love Gears of War Judgment so far. It's just like grandma's homemade pumpkin pie: it's nice to come home to. I was just expecting pecan.

2013 Backpacker Gear Guide is Here!

If your into hiking or backpacking at all, I can't recommend this years 2013 Backpacker Gear Guide enough! It'll give you all the latest on all of this years hottest gear! Then, go to sierratradingpost.com to pick up last years models of the editors choices for up to 60% off the retail price!

Target Ad "Gamer's Edition" for 3/24 - 3/30

Target will be having a few more great deals on video games starting 3/24 and ending on 3/30. The most important being the brand new Pikachu 3DS Xl for only $159.99! The rest of the best are highlight below:

1. Pikachu 3DS XL $159.99

2. SimCity = $39.99

3. 12 Month XBox Live Card = $39.99

Hitman Absolution Only $18.99 w/ Free Shipping!

 

Groupon.com has Hitman Absolution for only $18.99 including Free Shipping! (Limit 3 per person) This is one of my favorite games of 2012 and is an absolute steal for under $19!

Veronica Mars Movie Kickstarter

In less than four hours, the Veronica Mars Movie Kickstarter had raised over $1 Million setting a new Kickstarter record. 24 hours after the project launched, it had already surpassed its' $2 Million goal. With 29 days left on the project, only time will tell just how much this project will bring in. If you thought the sound of a Veronica Mars movie sounded amazing, then you have to check out the unique and humorous backer tiers! (I can be in the actually movie? Yes Please!) Sadly this series was under appreciated and under-watched. I strongly recommend picking up the first season and giving it a try!

Jurassic Park 3D Trailer!

It's hard to believe that it has been 20 years since the release of the greatest movie EVER made! Yeah, you heard me right. This is my favorite movie of all time and I can NOT wait to relive my childhood and see Jurassic Park again in the theater. If there was ever a reason to see a movie in IMax, then this is it!

Official Bethesda Store is Now Open!

You asked for it, you dreamed about, and now it's finally here! The Official Bethesda Store has finally opened its doors to its most loyal fans and newcomers alike. They've got it all from Skyrim shirts to Fallout shoes. Be sure to shop there soon as some items are already sold out!

Kinect: Disneyland Adventures Only $5.99!

Best Buy has Kinect: Disneyland Adventures for $5.99 today only!

Gears of War Judgement Pre-order Only $39.99!

Newegg.com has Gears of War Judgement for $39.99 today only when you pre-order and use Promo Code EMCYTZT3079!

Before Katniss There Was Lara (by C.D. Kearby)

“The past is never dead. It's not even past.”

― William Faulkner

       The Hunger Games trilogy presents the story of Katniss: A teenage girl who is willing to do whatever it takes to survive. She’s intelligent, strong-willed, and skilled with a bow. The world around her is falling apart and she must fight to keep it from crushing her. One wrong step and the trilogy ends early in book one.
       In the new Tomb Raider game, Lara Croft exhibits these same qualities. She is trapped, uses a bow, and fights off forces that are trying to kill her. So, it’s easy for people to say that this game is merely a veiled attempt to capture a piece of the wildly popular Hunger Games franchise. There’s one problem with that theory: Lara’s been doing this for years.
       From the first time she fought off wild dogs with a sharpened stick, Lara showed how compelling a tough-as-nails female protagonist can be. Gamers flocked to buy the game that featured a young woman climbing rocks, hunting for artifacts, and doing whatever it took to survive. Sure, she wore short shorts and a tight tank top but she was also clever and self-reliant. She didn’t need anyone to tell her who she was. She was a survivor.
       The Hunger Games trilogy is fantastic and if you haven’t read it you should, but let’s not forget one person who blazed the trail for Katniss to capture the imagination of millions of fans: Lara Croft.  She may look a little different in the new Tomb Raider game but the soul of the original explorer is still there.
       It’s terrific to embrace what is new but not at the cost of forgetting the past. 

     - C. D. Kearby


C.D. Kearby is a Contributing Editor for The Honest Gamer. Please be sure to follow him on Twitter and check out more of his writing and thoughts on his blog.

          - Twitter: @cdkearby

          - Blog: cdkearby.blogspot.com

Kingsburg Table Top Game

Last week I got the chance to play Kingsburg by Fantasy Flight Games. Right from the start I was impressed with this game. The production values, art, and content all made a very nice first impression. More importantly, the game-play is fantastic! Easy to learn and hard to master best summarizes this strategic game. Kingsburg is a great gateway game into the wonderful world of Euro Gaming. The fact that Kingsburg has the most clearly laid out instruction manual of any game I have ever played only helps to support this. You can pick up Kingsburg at amazon.com for $40 and I strongly suggest that you do!

What Will They Think of Next?

After literally waiting years to get my hands on the new Tomb Raider, I have finally gotten to spend a good chunk of time inside the Dragon's Triangle! It is absolutely amazing to me that a game can look this good running on 512mb of ram and a 7 year old processor! I can only imagine what this game will look like when it is re-released as a "special edition" on the next Xbox and PS4 seven months from now! Anyone who thought Skyrim's vistas were a sight to see has to check out the power of Tomb Raider!

Target Ad: Buy 2 Get 1 & More! (3/17-3/23)

Target's upcoming ad (3/17 - 3/23) is going to be great for gamers! Sales are listed below with the most notable being the Buy 2 Get 1 Free on ALL Video Games including Skylanders figures and Gears of War Judgement! Combine this with the 5% discount for having a Target Red Card and your looking at getting $59.99 games for $37.99!

1. Buy 2 Get 1 Free on ALL Video Games

2. 12 Month Xbox Live Subscription = $39.99

3. Nintendo DSi System = $89.99

4. Nintendo 3DS System = $149.99

5. $50 Gift Card with the purchase of any Wii U System

6. $20 Gift Card with the purchase of the 4GB Xbox 360 System

Just Released! Gears of War Judgement Launch Trailer

Tomb Raider Reboot Film in the Works

Crystal Dynamics has confirmed that they will be heavily involved with the new Tomb Raider film. It too will be a reboot and will be produced by GK Films. The film company reaponsible for 2012's picture of the year Argo.

G.I. Joe Retaliation Trailer!!!

Dead Space 4 Cancelled

EA announced that Dead Space 4 has been canceled due to poor sales of Dead Space 3.

Achievements: Awesome or Annoying?

       I've been enjoying games on my Xbox 360 for almost seven years now and have seen many features come and go. Frequent changes to the dashboard, controllers, system design, and even game cases have all helped to improve my gaming experience. However, one thing remains the same...achievements.
       My complaint is not with achievements themselves. (With a gamer score of 66,00+ it's obvious that I enjoy collecting them more than the average gamer.) The issue I have with achievements is the timing. After pouring hours upon hours into a game and finally finding myself at a critical plot point, it's frustrating to be taken out of the experience by an achievement message popping up right in the middle of the screen! Can't it wait until after I have completed the cut scene? At the very least, can you please place the message anywhere besides the middle of the screen? Sometimes the achievement message will even spoil what's about to happen in the game! Basically, you can call me Aretha Fanklin, because "all I'm asking for is just a little respect."

Official Microsoft Wireless 360 Controller for $38.88!

 

Sams Club currently has the Official Microsoft Xbox 360 wireless controller for only $38.88! This sale is available both in store and online.

New Gears of War: Judgement Trailer!

Tomb Raider Controller Wont Raid Your Wallet

Best Buy is offering the Limited Edition Tomb Raider controller for only $39.99 when you purchase a copy of Tomb Raider March 5 - March 9.

Watch This! Watch Dogs! WOW!

PS4 and Xbox 720...Barrier to Entry

           With the next generation of consoles just around the corner, I found myself being just as nervous as I am excited. While the excitement of jaw dropping “demos” of Watch Dogs and Killzone are sure to excite even the most casual gamer, it’s the details that aren’t being discussed that have me nervous. Details on important issues like price, digital rights management, and transfer of gamer profiles have been scarce to say the least.

            We already know games are going to be bigger and better than ever before. What I want to know is what’s going to happen to the hundreds of dollars I have spent over the past seven years on digital games, movies, tv shows, avatar items, etc. What about achievement points and trophies? Will those even transfer? How much are the systems and games even going to cost? A majority of the games that came out for Xbox 360 and PS3 had no right even charging $59.99! If you don’t agree with me, then please tell me why almost all games hit the $20 mark less than 6 months after their release. Am I now going to be expected to pay $70 for another company’s “tech demo”? (Madden 2006 and Rockstar’s Table Tennis ring a bell?)

            I have also noticed that Xbox Live is almost ALWAYS on sale for well less than the suggested retail of $59.99/year. Is Microsoft phasing out Xbox Live and changing to Xbox Gold as some rumors have mentioned? I guess it’s possible that I’m far more concerned with the transition period than the next guy, but why shouldn’t I be? I have invested thousands of hours into my games over the years. I just don’t want to be left feeling that it was all for naught.

            The reason I am so concerned about these issues is only because I am so excited for the next generation of video game systems and all the awesome games and memories that will come with them. I just hope that hope that Sony and Microsoft are as ready for the future of gaming as I am.

Victory Can Be Pre-Ordered! (Apparently so can $20)

Best Buy's "Victory can be Pre-Ordered" program has continued into 2013 with a whole new list of games. By simply pre-ordering any of the participating games and picking the game up during the release week you will get $20 back in Best Buy Rewards Points! This is on top of the rewards points you get for having a rewards card, Best Buy credit card, being part of the Best Buy Gamers Club, or being a silver member.

Tomb Raider Reboot Already Crushing It On Metacritic

An entire week before it's release, Tomb Raider is already receiving critical acclaim from numerous (35+ at the time of this writing) game reviewers. Metacritic.com shows 33 of the 35 critics giving the game positive marks, making this is a no-brainer for a release date purchase. This is especially true given the HORRIBLE beginning of the year drought the game industry always has.

The Honest Gamer Best Deal Breakdown: Best Buy
($59.99 with $23.90 earned in Best Buy Rewards and $1.44 Cash Back)

* Best Buy Pre-order Reward Bonus = $20
* Best Buy Reward Zone Points = $1.20
* Best Buy Gamers Club Bonus = $1.20
* Best Buy Credit Card Bonus = $1.20
* Best Buy Silver Member Bonus = $.30
* Link through bigcrumbs.com = $1.44

PS4 Announcement Trailer

12 Month Gold Xbox Live Membership On Sale!

Best Buy is selling 1 Year subscriptions to Xbox Live for $34.99 this week only! This sale is available both in store and online. (Normally $59.99) This is the lowest I have ever seen 12 months of Xbox Live offered for.

Tomb Raider Trailer

By far one of the best game trailers I have EVER seen!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to The Honest Gamer blog! This is your one stop shop for gaming news, deals, reviews, previews, opinions, and so much more! But wait!...It gets better! Down the road I plan to start The Honest Gamer podcast and YouTube channel. I have already added The Honest Gamer Twitter feed which you can always check out on the right side of the page for the most up to date news and opinions. Please don't ever hesitate to post comments or thoughts...I know I wont!