1UP has some interesting new inside looks at the next installment of the Tomb Raider series, Tomb Raider: Underworld.

Though I know enough about the series to have a general grasp on the mechanics and the storyline, I never really got roped into it.  But reading the articles posted on 1UP is making me think twice about not participating.

I wonder: Can it compete with Uncharted?  Because I thought that game was very impressive.  And should I buy a game solely based on the fact that I am really interested in fighting a giant octopus with a handgun?

I got a real treat this Friday and got to read one of the most creative (and pretty darn funny) review of Destroy All Humans: Big Willy Unleashed on Frayed Wire.

Don’t believe me?  Here’s an excerpt:

Josh60502: Hypnotizing people always made them dance; I would have liked to see something else happen.

JustMattPwn3r: I would’ve liked more disco or something else stereotypically 70’s.

Josh60502: Too much disco can be bad.

JustMattPwn3r: Yeah, but so can not enough.

Aside from being a completely honest review from not one but three perspectives, they bring up some important questions concerning gaming in general.  Is it possible to blur the lines between casual and hardcore games?  How well do games translate to other forms of media, like television shows?

…And what is the right amount of disco?

It’s common knowledge that gamers just know other gamers. Whether this is members of your clan/guild/linkshell/forum, people you know by their PSN ID / Wii Friend Code / XBL Gamertag, or even just the friends you hang out with every day — gamers know gamers.

Gaming has become a new dimension of social bonding. We no longer have the stereotypes of being hikikomoris simply because we are gamers. We’re no longer a niche; we’re an entire psychographic! In fact, we rule the market! Remember GTA IV? Did you know that it made $300 million on release day, whereas the biggest opening day for a movie is Spiderman 3 at $60 million?

So, we think it’s time to gather around and finally get our just rewards for helping to drive much of the entertainment industry’s economy.

Many of you know that if you’ve worked with us here at M80 before, and you probably know that we are usually able to provide review copies to gamers who can return to us their unfiltered opinions about a game. But maybe other gamers don’t know that there’s this opportunity. And let’s face it, games are pretty expensive, all things considered.

So if you’ve got friends you’d like to recommend to review for us, comment on this post. Or, you can let them know to email me directly! (nico@m80im.com)

Gamers form little communities everywhere, and that’s awesome to begin with. But what if we took all those communities, all the blogs, all the clan sites, and even game publishers themselves, and then connected them all to each other?

We think it’s a good idea. It’s a massive task, but it’s worth a shot, right?

(via Halolz)

…otherwise known as my 3rd consecutive post in a row linking to Kotaku

I bring up this movie because some of you might know of Uwe Boll’s upset at having the Postal movie open in all but 4 screens lately (not 4 cities… 4 screens.), and the vendetta he’s started with the gaming community.  Now, gamers usually hate Uwe Boll not necessarily because he makes bad movies, he just adapts video games to film very poorly because of his cursory glance at gaming culture.  He just doesn’t take gaming seriously and this is conveyed in the work.  Ultimately, it damages the image of gamers because how are we supposed to be taken seriously if he is pushing films with a blatant disregard for our cherished storylines and characters?

So I can only thank [insert religious figure here] that this film is directed by Mike Newell (director of Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire).

Moreover, this film looks to be a Jerry Bruckheimer kind of shindig.  This kind of bends my mind a little bit because Jerry Bruckheimer is most well-known for incorporating explosions–and LOTS OF EXPLOSIONS–into movies.  So I’m trying to visualize the Prince of Persia with explosions.

I guess that could work…?

Anyway, here’s more info, via the Hollywood Reporter.

Does everyone remember the original Golden Axe? And does this make me old because I remember renting it when it came out?

Either way, Kotaku gives us a first glance at the re-imagination of the classic – what strikes me first is that this time, you won’t be able to play as the dwarf or the barbarian (even if they do make appearances as NPCs), only Tyris Flare, the amazon. That’s all good and fine, I just hope she is well-thought-out and doesn’t end up with the fate of relative obscurity like Nariko of Heavenly Sword.

…but even if she is a well-developed character, she’s still no Samus Aran.

Usually, comic-book-to-video-game translations are not very noteworthy (do you hear that, Aquaman?). Well, this game is perfectly poised to break that frustrating cycle.

If you’re a fan of Penny Arcade, chances are you’re a gamer. And if you’re a gamer, you probably own one of the platforms for which this title will be released (Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Xbox Live). If you’re reading this, you probably at least own Windows, Macintosh, or Linux. And this game is only $20!

I, personally, will be getting this because I haven’t played a really good RPG in a long time, and this may be the game to get me back into the genre.  Kotaku give us some screenshots to tide us over in the meantime.

Game fact sheet after the jump!

GAME FACT SHEET

Summary

Format: Xbox LIVE® Arcade
Download for Windows, Macintosh, Linux
Publisher: Hothead Games
Developer: Hothead Games
Release Date: May 21, 2008
Category: RPG-Adventure
ESRB Rating: M for Mature
Website: www.rainslick.com
On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness is an RPG-Adventure game set in the comic-book-meets-pulp-horror-meets-H.P. Lovecraft deranged 1920s universe of New Arcadia, delivering mature and compelling entertainment to gamers via accessible episodic delivery. The creative collaboration between Penny Arcade creators Mike ‘Gabe’ Krahulik and Jerry ‘Tycho’ Holkins, legendary game designer Ron Gilbert and veteran producers Hothead Games results in a 100% authentic Penny Arcade experience that pushes bizarre characters, outrageous combat, and adult humor to the precipices of darkness.

Players join Gabe and Tycho, the crime-solving team of the Startling Developments Detective Agency, to combat savage enemies and solve mysteries hidden deep in the sinister heart of New Arcadia. The ominous 1920s landscape features distinct artwork and characters designed exclusively by Krahulik and brought to life by the Hothead team.

On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness © 2008 Hothead Games, Inc. Penny Arcade, the Penny Arcade logo, and the Penny Arcade Adventures logo are trademarks of Penny Arcade, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. Hothead, the Hothead Games logo, and the On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness logo are trademarks of Hothead Games, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and logos are the property of their respective owners.
Episodic Game Play

Each episode of On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness brings the Startling Developments detective team closer to discovering the sinister and bizarre mystery of New Arcadia, and truly takes advantage of the episodic genre by integrating features like

• The ability to carry over character, stats, abilities, inventory and look across all episodes
• A complete experience available in 5-10 hours of game play per episode
• A price point of $19.95 (or 1600 Microsoft points), offering tremendous value that fits into the modern gamer’s busy schedule
• Pick-up-and-play capabilities from any episode, allowing players enjoyment without the need to play previous installments
Key Game Features

• Create-a-Player System lets you design and develop your own character, seeing it come to life in 3D and in the comic-style 2D cut scenes
• Dynamic turn-based combat system, over-the-top animations, and team-up moves during enemy battles
• Classic adventure game play combines with RPG elements to unravel the game’s mysteries and puzzles
• Authentic Penny Arcade story and dialogue written exclusively by Jerry Holkins
• Includes Gabe, Tycho, Annarchy, the Fruit F*cker and many other favorite Penny Arcade characters, plus new characters designed by Mike Krahulik

The game is a Wii title, and if you’d really like to know what it’s like, you might want to read some of our user reviews of the game.

• Review on Video Game Crazy!
• Review by PsychoDuck
• Review on Gamervision

We have reviews also coming up from Frayed Wire, The Serious Nerd, and GoNintendo, among others.  Keep an eye on their sites and this one to see what they think about it!

Would you like to offer your thoughts on the game? Drop us a line here:

…Oh, you don’t have a copy of the game? No problem, we can send one your way. Email Nico for further details!

The premise is simple: describe games to an adult market who don’t really understand the gaming world all that much. So why is this useful?

Why It’s Useful For Parents
Well, this should be obvious. This site is written from the perspective of parents involved in their kids’ gaming lives. The tagline on the logo is evidence enough. What is particularly useful, however, is that the people who are describing the games spend ample time with the game as gamer parents themselves. They do know what they are talking about, and because they write from the perspective of a parent, they let parents know what they should know about these games. Why should parents of gamers read this? I believe the question is more like, “Why are parents of gamers not reading this?”

Why It’s Useful For Kids Who Are Gamers
Really, this site isn’t just for parents. If you’re looking for a way to get your parents involved in your gamer life, and to get them to care about a subject that you care about, consider giving them a link to this site. Think about it: if you really want to prove that you’re mature enough to own a copy of GTA IV, then talk to them about the content and ideas in the game while reading the review on the site–if you do display the level of maturity required, they may just get it for you themselves instead of you having to save up your allowance for a month or two. This also gives you a chance to describe how games are much more complex and profound than how non-gamers give them credit. Games are not all about “kill the bad guys and rescue the princess” anymore. Maybe it’s time you gave them a glimpse into the future of home entertainment, right?

We here at M80 work on projects for movies, TV, music, parenting, technology, and consumer brands, but this blog is concerned with gaming. Here, we hope to provide a useful resource for gaming. We’ll post about gaming resources from what we find out there on the web. We’ll talk about “best practices” in the gaming review world. This blog will also be a place to keep in contact with us on how you can get free swag for simply being a gamer. You’ll be able to check up on the status of our gaming campaigns, get updates on M80 Online Teams for games, get some useful info for gaming, and contribute to a community around one of the most exciting and booming industries to take the entertainment world by storm: Video Games.

More importantly, this is a hub where M80 plans to participate with you, fellow gamers! When we’re not at home playing games on our own, we also spend a ton of time researching what’s going on in the gaming world on the behalf of our clients, and we think it’s time we shared some of this useful information with you–and also to create a space where you can share information with us.

Whether you’re L337 or a n00b, whether you’re an analog stick kid or a WASD warrior, whether you’re a gamer or you’ve got someone in your life who is a gamer, you are all welcome here.

Thanks for dropping in!