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It totally managed to fly under my radar (or maybe I was just awash with tower defense games), but the game that arguably brought the genre to the masses was "Desktop Tower Defense." It was, if you'll recall, Stephen Totilo's Game of the Year in 2007. (Note: Can't say I agree with Stephen on that one..."BioShock" and "Call of Duty 4" both came out that year, but to each his own!) Game of the Year or no, it was still a great game and has been played by millions of people.

"Desktop Tower Defense Pro" is the next iteration of the series, and it's definitely more of a full-fledged title. There's a full swath of scenarios to master, as well as a sandbox mode where you can change just about every aspect of the gameplay, from creep speed to starting cash.
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Tags desktop tower defense, tower defense

Behold this killer trailer for a fan-made remake of "Metroid 2: Return of Samus." The game released on the original GameBoy and was, well, pretty good. Honestly it was probably the weakest "Metroid" game of the bunch, but, like "Temple of Doom," it's tough to go up against such greatness.

The eternal question when it comes to these expertly-crafted remakes is, unfortunately, when will it get shut down? Past examples have included reduxes of "Chrono Trigger" and "Space Quest 3," two projects that got the legal axe after several years of development time and effort. Is "Metroid 2+" destined for the same fate? Sure hope not...

Tags metroid, metroid 2 remake

Xbox Live is down for the entire day today, so if you're looking to pwn some noobs, you've come to the wrong place. As an alternative, might we suggest these single player-only games to while the hours away? (Note: In the interest of keeping this list manageable, these games have no online components...but a great solo experience!)

Fallout 3

From a bang-for-your-buck perspective, few single-player games offer more value than "Fallout 3." Even without the DLC, you're looking at a good 40-50 hours of gameplay. Chances are by the time you put this one down you'll be just in time to play "Project Natal," let alone Xbox Live.
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Tags assassin's creed, bioshock, braid, dead space, fallout 3, xbox live

Microsoft's press conference at E3 gave us our first glimpse at "Halo: Reach," but it wasn't exactly robust. The teaser ominously stated, "From the beginning, you knew the end," and featured a lot of combat chatter, but if you're not in the know with the expanded Halo universe you were probably left scratching your head. We're here to help.

"Halo: Reach" revolves around the events detailed in the 2001 novel, "Halo: The Fall of Reach." It's a prequel to the main "Halo" storyline (again, alluded to in the trailer). The book's protagonist was a younger Master Chief, who, along with a squad of SPARTAN soldiers, tried to defend the planet from the first Covenant invasion. Unfortunately, as the novel's title hints, things didn't go so well. If you'd like to know more about the game's probably story, definitely check out the book (as well as the subsequent sequel, "Halo: First Strike."
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Tags Add new tag, bungie, halo, halo 3: odst, halo: reach, microsoft game studios

Two of the best games that showed at this year's E3 were "Uncharted 2" and "Shadow Complex." Both are exclusive to their platforms (PS3 and 360, respectively), and both are played from different perspectives (over-the-shoulder vs. 2D side-scroller). But their heroes? Cut from the same block of wood! I couldn't help but notice the similarities, but if you missed it, here are some of the more glaring examples.

They Have The Same Sense of Style

The lone hiker with spiky hair look is definitely in, and both guys seem to be rockin' it with style. Later on in "Shadow Complex," the hero gains a power suit which boosts his abilities, but at the start at the adventure it definitely looks like they shop at the same store.
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Tags shadow complex, uncharted, uncharted 2

The slow summer months are officially in full swing, and the list of games coming out this week could definitely use a bit more oomph. That being said, we do have a few interesting titles to pique our interest...

Pick of the Week: Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Yep, it's good! We took a look at the final version of the game and despite being a movie franchise tie-in, it's actually rather fun and (even more incredible) actually pretty funny.

Let's Tap
This SEGA-published minigame collection is rather unique. Place your Wii remote on a hard, hollow surface and once the game kicks up, tap that surface with your finger to compete in rhythm games, side-scrolling shooters and visually enthralling fireworks shows. Definitely the party game of the week and a perfect fit for folks that don't want to throw down for plastic drums.

Guitar Hero: Smash Hits
If you've stayed away from "Guitar Hero" for this long, now might be a good time to come back to the fold. This collection includes some of the best tracks from the series, and adds drum and vocal support to some of the earlier tracks.

Tags ghostbusters: the video game, guitar hero: smash hits, lets tap

If you're in the market for the Wii MotionPlus attachment for your controller, you should probably look beyond your neighborhood GameStop. The video game retailer is charging 5 dollars more ($24.99) than other major retails such as Amazon, Buy.com and Best Buy.

Why the increase in price? Your guess is as good as ours...but it may have something to do with capitalizing on all the new gamers out there who are willing to buy just about anything with a Wii label on it. As of this writing, GameStop hadn't returned our request for a comment, but what do you care, you just want your video game peripherals as cheap as you can get 'em, right? Thankfully you now know where not to go to get your Wii doodad.

Tags gamestop, wii motionplus

You probably already know that "Halo 3: ODST" is a side-story, where you'll play as ODSTs, the soldiers that supported Master Chief in his adventure to save the planet.

Even though it's a side-story, I was still kind of expecting that ol' MC might show up in this adventure. I mean, Gordon Freeman was in all of those "Half-Life" spin-offs, right? Unfortunately Bungie's Brian Jarrard was quick to shut down any chance that he'll be making an appearance.

"Master Chief, at the time this game takes place, is actually off on other parts of the galaxy. So the events that span 'Halo 2' and '3', he's already off doing bigger, more important things. In this game, it's all about you playing the role of an ODST. The way the timelines work in this game, Master Chief is off doing something else."

I guess we'll have to wait until Halo: Reach, which may give us a glimpse at a younger, more marketable Chief.

Tags bungie, halo, halo 3: odst

At the UK's Download Festival this past weekend, music fans gathered at a booth set up by EA to become a part of history. Their goal? To break the world record for "Most People Playing Air Guitar At One Time." The previous record was set last year, with a total of 318 people air-rocking.

The end result? They managed to break the record, with a total of 440 fans playing along to Motorhead's "Ace of Spades."

The event was organized by EA as a means of promoting the rock-centric adventure game, "Brutal Legend." T-shirts were given out to the crowd, and one lucky air guitarist won an exclusive Tenacious D electric guitar.

Is it just me or is the UK winning in the "Ridiculous Marketing Stunts to Promote Games" category? Last week THQ left a parked car filled with copies of "Red Faction: Guerrilla" on a London street. Oh, and they tied a sledge hammer to the car and pretty much let folks go wild. And how can we forget the goat decapitation for "God of War 2"? Yeah...they're definitely in the lead.

Tags brutal legend

Over the weekend, "Peggle" on iPhone was lowered from five dollars to just one. (Sorry if you missed it, the price is back up to five.) As I mentioned previously, it wasn't just PopCap being nice. No, it was just their way of "hacking" the iPhone AppStore, which is overly biased towards best-selling titles, listing those apps with the highest sales right at the top.

The issue with this method is that the top-selling list is determined by the number of times that app has been purchased, not the total amount of money that app has made. Therefore, more expensive apps are at a huge disadvantage, getting pushed down by the myriad of fart simulators that sell for a buck.
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Tags apple, appstore, peggle