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Tonight 6:30PM on X-Play: Top 7 Games for Valentine's Day

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Tune in tonight 6:30PM on X-Play as we'll run down our top 7 games for avoiding the Valentine's Day restaurant nightmare, and weigh in on UFC Undisputed 3. Show details below:

Top 7 Games for Valentine's Day
Different holidays might have all sorts of rituals specific to them, but for us it's always just another excuse to game. Cancel your dinner reservations and skip the roses, these are the 7 best ways to convince your significant other that it's the couple that games together that stays together.
UFC Undisputed 3 Review
Octagon brawler UFC Undisputed 3 arrives with a simplified control scheme and a brand new Pride mode, and we'll weigh in on it all with our review.
Amy Review
Amy is the survival horror title that sends you on escort missions to help out your mentally whacked friend. It's a strange blend, and we'll let you know if the game pulls it off in our review.
Tech Junkie: HORI SoulCalibur V Fight Stick and PlayStation 3 Flight Stick
The Tech Junkies weigh in on two new products from HORI: the SoulCalibur V Fight Stick and the PlayStation 3 Flight Stick.

Watch X-Play weekdays at 6:30PM ET, only on G4!

Mass Effect 3 Single Player Demo Impressions -- Is It March 6th Yet? (Potential Spoilers)

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:02:00 -0800

The demo for Mass Effect 3 is the ultimate tease. The tease begins by allowing gamers to choose their Shepard. You won't be able to transfer your save file for the demo. I admit clicking new game was painful, but I powered through it.

The first thing you'll notice in ME3's demo is the ability to decide how you want to play: Action, Role-Playing and Story. Before you panic like I did, Action means you want to play this game like Call of Duty. Dialogue choices are cutscenes and the primary focus is combat. If you want to mosey through the game not focusing on actual skill, instead allowing yourself to get caught up in the emotional story, then choose Story mode. If you want to play Mass Effect 3 the way it was intended, with a balance of guns and dialogue wheels, then choose Role-Playing. I obviously chose it.

NEWS: Mass Effect 3 Videos Look At Weapon Customization, Story, Co-op And More

You'll be asked to answer three more questions, one addressing your origins, one allowing you to decide your Shepard's reputation and another deciding who you chose to live and die in Mass Effect 1. Normally in an RPG I would tell you there's no wrong choice. But kids, Ashley Williams in the wrong choice. (Nikole + Kaidan = Love Forever) These questions are supposed to catch you up if you've never played ME1 and ME2. It's certainly not the interactive comic for the PS3 version of ME2, but this is just a demo.

A ship zooms by the screen, but as the camera zooms out you see it's just a toy a child is playing with. The demo starts out with a command station in panic, as shown originally during E3 2011. Captain Anderson's voice is echoing as alliance officers scatter. Shepard walks with Anderson, asking why there was such panic. Word of the impending Reaper invasion has just become accepted, which is good timing since they've actually begun invading Earth.

As we walked down the hallway I noticed a familiar face. (OMG IT'S KAIDAN!) We exchanged a few casual words before going our separate ways. James, Shepard's newest squad mate asked Kaidan, "Do you know her." He replied, "I used to." YOU'RE KILLING ME KAIDAN!

This part of the demo is an on rails cinematic. My only interaction was making choices on my dialogue wheel. The counsel demanded help, a plan, but I told them to shove it. My plan? "Fight or Die." Apparently they chose "die" because as soon as the room was quiet a Reaper descended from the sky as a giant red laser cut through the room. The only obvious survivors were Anderson and Shepard.

VIDEO: Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer -- Galaxy At War "Special Forces" Video

Anderson leads Shepard to a drop ship that was attacked, scaling the outside of the building along the way. If you pan the camera left you'll see at least four massive Reapers terrorizing the city. As Shepard made her way down the building, Husks began to attack. I don't know where the husks came from or why they were there, but neither hindered my ability to shoot them in the face. While inside a building, Shepard runs into the kid from the beginning. He's hiding in an air duct but before Shepard can help him, he slips away.

After the husks, your next enemy is the Cannibal. There wasn't an explanation for these guys either but they looked like the Mass Effect equivalent to a husk who drank too much imulsion (Gears of War). A few headshots later and the SR2 will swoop in to pick Shepard up. As Shepard's ship ascends, you see that same child from earlier climb aboard a ship. Before you have a chance to sigh from relief, a Reaper's laser blasts the ship into millions of pieces. Dramatic fade to black.

Part 2 of the demo is the Krogan female rescue mission from back at Gamescom last year and then again at PAX Prime. This part of the demo takes place later in the game as your character is already level 12. This mission is meant to show off ME3's combat abilities. Shepard has a decent amount of ammo, ample cover and enough Cerberus baddies to familiarize gamers with ME3's combat style.

The best part about this mission is it reunited me with Liara, Wrex, Garrus and Mordin. I do wonder which characters would be there had I let them die in ME2. The only annoying part of this part of the demo was backtracking. You'll have to go back through rooms, which can be a little confusing. The climax of the demo is a mech fight to allow Wrex to land the ship for the Krogan female. Using the d-pad you can direct your squad to distract him, allowing you to focus on red spots on its back. When there are no Cerberus soldiers left, Wrex lands to free the female. End of demo!

Coming up soon, our impressions of the multiplayer co-op game!

Battlefield 3 Pro Tips With Tsquared -- Know Your Class And Your Teammates Will Love You Long Time

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:30:00 -0800

X-Play and Tsquared have a few pointers for EA's Battlefield 3. If you don't want to have your ass handed to you, you're going to have to know a thing or two about your class. Before you start crying about the bourgeoisie and the caste system, watch this video and learn a thing or two.

Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version

In Battlefield 3 you can play as the following classes.

Assault
Engineer
Support
Recon

My go-to class is Engineer when I play BF3 or BF:BC2. What's your favorite class?

Girl Fight Coming To Xbox Live Arcade and PSN

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:30:00 -0800

They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but maybe you can judge a game by its title. If so, you need to know about Girl Fight, a just-announced downloadable game for Xbox Live and PSN that features girls fighting. That's enough of a selling point for me, but if you need more information, here's the official description:

"Choose from an array of sexy fighters to battle their way out of THE FOUNDATION, a shadowy, scientific organization looking to weaponize the psionic fighting abilities of the cast of gorgeous, all-female fighters. With unlimited funding and no moral or ethical compass, THE FOUNDATION collects its test subjects from all around the world, often abducting and plugging women into their virtual construct known as The Mainframe. To make it back to reality, the women must utilize their fighting and psionic abilities in an all-out battle for survival."

Girl Fight is from Majesco, Microprose, and Kung Fu factory. We don't have a release date for Girl Fight, but it is coming out this year. Perhaps you want to check out the Girl Fight's official facebook page.

Lego Star Wars: Lucasfilm Signs On For Another Decade Of Lego Star Wars Games And Toys

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:11:00 -0800

Brace yourself for ten more years of Lego Star Wars video games and toys. Today, Lucasfilm announced they've renewed their licensing deal with Lego Group for another decade. The first Lego Star Wars game came out in 2005 and the series has since sold 30 million copies.

The Lego games have been hit or miss for me but Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga is by far my favorite. Since they've already hit the core movies, Lego and Lucasfilm probably have to think of new ideas for future games. I have some ideas:

Max Rebo's Nalargon Hero
Greedo of Duty: Fist Strike
Salacious B. Crumb: Eye Pet
Darth Meyer's Civilization

What LEGO Star Wars video game ideas do you have?

Source: Gamasutra

Tips? Suggestions? Find me on Twitter.

The Witcher 2 Dev Diary -- Bringing Old School RPG To The Xbox 360

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 11:42:00 -0800

The developers behind The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings are excited to launch their game on the consoles. Well, a console, the Xbox 360. Listen as the HEROES behind the game discuss how The Witcher 2 pays homage to the world of old-school RPGs. If you thought some of 2011's game didn't offer you enough choices, brace yourself for this title. Story in the name of the game and you are totally in control.

Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version

The Witcher 2 is out now for the PC and will be hitting the X360 on April 17, 2012.

Rockstar: Max Payne 3 Delayed To Add Epicness

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 08:39:00 -0800

Rockstar Games this morning answered pressing fan questions about Max Payne 3 on its website, including addressing why the game has been delayed. Here's Rockstar's official answer as to why you'll have to wait to play Max 3:

"We understand it's disappointing to have to wait another couple months for the game, but we hope you know our goal is always to deliver the best games we possibly can. Trust that the delay is all to ensure the game is as epic and highly-polished as possible. Thank you all for your patience and understanding. We believe it will be well worth the wait."

Personally, I've been waiting since 2003 to play this game, so a few more months doesn't matter to me all that much.

NEWS: Max Payne 3 Multiplayer Details: Introducing Gang Wars

Other interesting information from the fan Q & A: The game will have free aim. Rockstar's full description of the shooting system is under the "Read More" tag.

Yes. The Max Payne series was built on its precise and fluid shooting mechanics, and a huge amount of work has been put into ensuring Max's aiming and weapon balance systems not only live up to the reputation of the original but also try to maximize what is possible with modern third and first-person shooters, enabling us to deliver fluid free-aim mechanics on both PC and console. To go more in-depth and see some of it in action, check out our latest Design and Technology series video focusing on targeting and weapons.

We also got some insider info about Max's signature bullet-time mechanic, and how it will work in multiplayer:

"Max Payne’s multiplayer is all about taking the physicality and tech of Max’s movement and shooting abilities and translating that directly into multiplayer in a way that fits with the overall story and the themes of the game, so getting Bullet Time right in the multiplayer experience is a huge priority. Bullet Time in multiplayer works via line of sight rather than applying to the whole level, or to a bubble around the player. While Bullet Time is Max’s special ability, it is just one of a range of special abilities - called Bursts – that you’ll find in multiplayer. Each Burst plays on an aspect of Max Payne 3’s overall themes such as conspiracy, paranoia, heroism, betrayal – and all come into play in our new narrative-based gameplay mode, Gang Wars. You can read more first details about Max Payne 3 multiplayer here and we will be revealing much, much more information very soon."

Also, because I'm sure you're curious: Rockstar revealed no new information on Grand Theft Auto 5 or a potential sequel to L.A. Noire.

Skyrim Made More Awesome With A Pinch Of Bastion In Today's Nugget From The Net

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:17:00 -0800

I'm pretty sure that most of you played Skyrim last year. Even if you didn't, it was next to impossible to avoid features, interviews, lists and amazing "arrow in the knee" and "Fus Ro Dah" video hilarity. You also hopefully played Bastion, the digitally distributed action-RPG from Supergiant Games with a great sense of style and killer voice and music work, with particular props going to the game's narrator, Logan Cunningham.

YouTube user Egger3rd definitely played both games, and used that background to get creative with a cool machinima mash-up (via Destructoid) that you really ought to watch. It's a reinterpreted take on the Skyrim intro, with narration from Bastion voice actor Logan Cunningham. It's a great watch and, even better, it's only part one.

Source: YouTube

Mass Effect 3 Demo Footage Appears Online

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:03:00 -0800

The playable demo for Mass Effect 3 arrives TOMORROW, but for those who simply can't stand to wait just 24 more hours (give or take), salvation comes in the form of streaming videos. YouTube user NinjaDancer (via VG247) scored early access to the demo and captured roughly 50 minutes of footage from the single player portion.

You get to see the very beginning of the game's story and watch as someone who isn't you plays through the first couple of missions as Commander Shepard. I'm going to hold off on watching these myself, since the demo is arriving so soon and all, but I'm sure at least a few of you BioWare fans won't be able to resist the temptation. Look for the second video after the jump.

Tonight 6:30PM on X-Play: Brace Yourselves for the PlayStation Vita

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0800

Tune in tonight 6:30PM ET on X-Play as we get ready for the PlayStation Vita. We've got one here, and we'll run down everything we like, and anything that's got us worried. Full show details below:

PlayStation Vita
We're inside of two weeks of the PlayStation Vita's official launch, but we have our hands on one now, and we'll take you on a thorough tour of what Sony's new portable gamer is set to deliver.
Tsquared's Battlefield 3 Pro Tips
Battlefield 3 is all about understanding your strengths and limitations, and pro gamer Tsquared will have pro tips for finding your role, and carrying it out effectively.
The Darkness 2 Review
Sequel The Darkness 2 has new developers, new gameplay mechanics, and a reworked art style. We'll weigh in on the results with our review.
Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Review
The wait is over, and the first game from baseball great turned videogame magnate Curt Schilling and his 38 Studios is here. It's action RPG Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, and we'll have our review.
X-Play Inbox
We'll open up more viewer mail in another edition of X-Play Inbox.
X-Play Recommends - iPad Game Jazz: Trump's Journey
We'll check out Jazz: Trump's Journey, a jazzy platforming romp through 1920s New Orleans.

Watch X-Play weekdays at 6:30PM ET, only on G4!

Call of Duty: Black Ops Given 'Best Game Ending' Honors By Guinness

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:44:00 -0800

Guinness, the standard-bearer for world records, has declared that the 2010 Call of Duty release from Treyarch, Black Ops, ranks at number one on the Top 50 Video Game Endings of All Time list. So that happened. Science wasn't used to determine the winner; instead, the game won in a poll that "13,519 fans of gaming" participated in. Moral of the story? More of you should get out and vote next time.

I'm a definite Call of Duty fan, and Black Ops is one of the series' superior titles in my own book. Best game ending ever though? Ehhhhhh.... Does such an objective judgment even belong in the Guinness record book, especially when it's just decided by a poll with a relatively small turnout?

No, I don't take any of this seriously. Any list that names Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II the best at anything is immediately suspicious. But since we're talking about best game endings, why don't you share some of your favorites in the comments? You can also hit the jump for the full list.

50. Resident Evil 4
49. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
48. Ratchet & Clank: a Crack in Time
47. Crysis 2
46. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
45. Call of Duty: World at War
44. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II
43. Half-Life 2: Episode Two
42. Super Metroid
41. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
40. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
39. inFamous
38. Fallout 3
37. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
36. Gears of War 2
35. Bioshock
34. Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty
33. Sonic Adventures 2
32. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
31. Kingdom Hearts II
30. Mass Effect
29. Super Mario Galaxy
28. Sonic the Hedgehog
27. Metal Gear Solid
26. Assassin's Creed II
25. Assassin's Creed
24. Shadow of the Colossus
23. Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
22. Kingdom Hearts
21. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves
20. Super Mario Galaxy 2
19. Mass Effect 2
18. Grand Theft Auto IV
17. Portal 2
16. Assassins Creed: Brotherhood
15. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
14. Halo: Combat Evolved
13. Halo 3
12. Pokemon Black and White
11. Super Mario Bros
10. Heavy Rain
9. Final Fantasy VII
8. Metal Gear Solid 4
7. Portal
6. Red Dead Redemption
5. God of War
4. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
2. Halo: Reach
1. Call of Duty: Black Ops

Source: Guinness

Dirt 3 Getting Complete Edition Next Month

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:17:00 -0800

Offroad racing game Dirt 3 scored high marks with critics when it launched last year, including a four-star rating on G4 from the lovely and talented Mitch Dyer. The new gymkhana mode (not to be confused with the old Gymkata movie) gave the time-tested series gameplay a new focus, and fans approved. Now, less than a year after the game's May 2011 release, Codies is prepping a value-priced Complete Edition, a press release confirms.

For $39.99 you'll get last year's game along with 12 new track configurations spread between two new locations -- Monte Carlo and X Games Asia -- along with five car packs that bring 13 additional cars and all manner of liveries (skins) into the game. The Dirt 3: Complete Edition is coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows PC platforms sometime in March; stay tuned for more info.

Final Fantasy 13-2 Monster Guide Part One: How To Acquire And Train Your New Party Members

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:01:00 -0800

Monsters in Final Fantasy 13-2 are a lot more important this time around than they have been in just about any other Final Fantasy game out there. In FF13-2, you basically catch monsters that you fight and can then add them as members of your party to fight with you. Every monster is different and there are hundreds to collect, each with their own unique abilities to bring to your party.

GUIDE: Final Fantasy 13-2 Chocobo Racing Guide

With this Final Fantasy 13-2 Beginner Monster Guide I'm going to show you how to catch monsters, how to train them, how to infuse your monsters with others in order to make them stronger, and more. There's a lot to get through, but honestly the monster taming feature in FF13-2 is one of the most diverse and interesting things that the entire game has to offer. It's basically Final Fantasy mixed with Pokemon...maybe that's why I like it so much.

How Do You Catch A Monster?

Every time you defeat a recruitable monster there's a chance it will drop a crystal which allows you to use them in your party. Not only that, but once you get one of these crystals you can level up the monster in the Crystarium as well.

To equip a monster in your party, enter the main screen menu and go to the Paradigm Packs option. From there you just click on one of the three available spots and put the monster you want to use in one of them. You can only have three monsters battling at a time, so make sure before you go in to tough fights that you have the right monsters selected. If you take a monster out of your party they aren't deleted or anything, so don't worry about that.

GUIDE: Final Fantasy 13-2 Brain Blast Guide: All The Answers To The New Town (Southwest) Terminal Questions

Once you've selected the three monsters for your Paradigm Pack you can back out to the Party Paradigms screen and customize, generate, or delete a paradigm that you want to use. It's up to you to decide which monster type you want to use to help Serah and Noel.

What Are The Different Types Of Monsters?

Each monster is fixed to one specific role of the six different paradigm roles (Commando, Sentinel, Ravager, Medic, Saboteurs, and Synergist). For example, one monster might be a Commando, while another might be a Medic. They can't switch it up like the main characters can. Therefore, depending what you're about to fight, it's a good idea to get monsters in your party that will compliment Serah and Noel.

Also, aside from Chocobos you can only carry one of each individual monster at a time. You can carry multiple Chocobos since they're used for racing at the Chocobo Races in Serendipity. Check out our Chocobo Racing Guide for more info on Chocobo Racing.

GUIDE: Final Fantasy 13-2 Captain Cryptic's Confounding Quiz Guide

To see what kind of different monsters you have, just go in to the menu and select Monsters. Once there, you'll get to check out all of the monsters you've caught, their stats, their level, their class, their descriptions, their configurations, their adornments, and more.

What Do My Monster's Stats Mean?

In the monster screen there are four boxes that reveal just about everything you want to know about your monster. I've created this table so it's easier for you to figure out what each description means for every monster.

Term	Meaning
Early Peaker	Reaches a maximum level of 20
Well-Grown	Reaches a maximum level of 30 to 60
Late Bloomer	Reaches a maximum level of 70 to 99
Hearty	High HP growth
Strong	High Strength growth
Magical	High Magic growth
Balanced	Balanced parameter growth
Brainy	Learns many abilities
Flameprone	Weak against Fire
Sparkprone	Weak against Lightning
Windprone	Weak against Wind
Flameproof	Strong Fire resistance abilities
Frostproof	Strong Ice resistance or learn Ice resistance abilities
Thunderproof	Strong Lightning resistance or learns Lightning resistance abilities
Windproof	Strong Wind resistance or learns Wind resistance abilities
Meleeproof	Strong physical resistance or learns physical resistance abilities
Manaproof	Strong magic resistance or learns magic resistance abilities
Venomproof	Strong poison resistance or learns Poison resistance abilities
Fogproof	Strong Fog resistance ofr learns Fog resistance abilities
Flameproof	Strong Fire resistance abilities
Frostproof	Strong Ice resistance or learn Ice resistance abilities
Thunderproof	Strong Lightning resistance or learns Lightning resistance abilities
Windproof	Strong Wind resistance or learns Wind resistance abilities
Meleeproof	Strong physical resistance or learns physical resistance abilities
Manaproof	Strong magic resistance or learns magic resistance abilities
Venomproof	Strong poison resistance or learns Poison resistance abilities
Fogproof	Strong Fog resistance ofr learns Fog resistance abilities
Painproof	Strong Pain resistance or learns Pain resistance abilities
Hexproof	Strong Curse resistance or learns Curse resistance abilities
Wimpy	Has multiple weaknesses
Stoic	Has numerous resistances or learns many resistance-based abilities
Resourceful	Learns abilties that improve post-battle rewards
Pinch Hitter	Learns abilires that can be activated when in danger
Loyal	Learns abiliries that will be activated when allies are in danger
Zippy	Speedy monster with abilities such as Auto-Haste or Critical: Haste
Rare	Difficult to encounter or recruit

How Do I Develop My Monsters?

Once you have a monster you've got to level it up so that it can help you in battles. Just like you level Serah and Noel, you level monsters via the Crystarium to increase their stats and give them new abilities. Rather than using CP like you do for the main characters though, you have to use monster materials to level your monsters up.

REVIEW: Final Fantasy 13-2 Review

As you're developing your monsters you need to keep their roles in mind. For Commandos and Ravagers you need to determine the attack speed of your monsters. If they're slow then you're going to want to get the bonus boost enhancements, whereas faster monsters should get the additional ATB slot so that they can delve out even more damage.

Sentinels and Saboteurs should always get the bonus boost enhancement since they're more important than the extra ATB segment for those classes.

Synergists and Medics should always get the additional ATB slot for their first expansion bonus. Since their moves usually require more ATB slots to use, if they have more to work with then they can cast their stronger spells more often. After that you can get bonus boosts instead of the one extra ATB slot.

With that in mind, let me explain how you use Monster Materials to level up your monsters in the first place. Just about every monster drops monster materials and Chocolina also sells them. The most costly and time-consuming process in developing your monster is acquiring all the materials you need to develop them, unfortunately.

The materials are broken down in three different ways:

Material Grade: This scales from one to five and corresponds to the current cost rank of your monster. The little icon on your monster bar that looks like a little fox is the material grade.
Material Variety: This corresponds to the physical composition of the monster, which can be either Biological or Mechanical
Material Type: This corresponds to the bonus stat granted for each node in the Crystarium, whether it's Vitality (HP), Power (Strength), Mana (Magic) or Potent (all three).

Basically, the higher Grade a material it is, the more expensive it will be or the harder it will be to find. By using specific Monster Materials you can selectively enhance specific stats even further, making your monster the most powerful it can possibly be.

GUIDE: Final Fantasy 13-2 Brain Blast Guide: All The Answers To The Grand Avenue Square Terminal Questions

What this boils down to is that you need to understand the monster that you're leveling up. For example, if you have a Sentinel monster you aren't going to want to use magic monster materials when you level it up since Sentinels don't need magic. The same thing goes for a Ravager type monster. They don't need power materials since they aren't going to doing much physical damage.

What Is Monster Infusion?

Let's say that you have a monster that you love and have spent a lot of time leveling up but they just don't have the abilities that you need in your party. You can get around this via FF13-2's infusion system, which allows you to basically fuse two monsters together in to one utterly awesome monster. It's a way to create your own custom monsters with all of the abilities you want.

GUIDE: Final Fantasy 13-2 Graviton Core Guide: How To Find All Five Graviton Cores In FF13-2

When you infuse a monster they inherit the abilities of the monster that they were infused with. Keep in mind that if you infuse let's say, a Commando with a Ravager, the Commando won't learn the Ravager's move like Fire, it will only learn its passive abilities. If you do want to infuse two different monsters with different roles in to one, it's still okay though since the monsters will learn some pretty cool passive abilities. Here's a list of them:

Jeopardize: Infuse a COM monster with a developed RAV monster with a cumulative total of at least 99 levels
Vigor: Infuse a RAV monster with a developed COM monster with a cumulative total of at least 99 levels
Reprieve: Infuse a SEN monster with a developed MED monster with a cumulative total of at least 99 levels
Jinx: Infuse a SAB monster with a developed SYN monster with a cumulative total of at least 99 levels
Boon: Infuse a SYN monster with a developed SAB monster with a cumulative total of at least 99 levels
Curaja: Infuse a MED monster with a developed SEN monster with a cumulative total of at least 99 levels

Monsters can obtain up to ten passive abilities which makes them super strong if developed correctly. However, there are some rules when it comes to infusing a monster's passive abilities to other monsters.

If a monster has one or more abilities with a red padlock mark by their name, those abilities can't be transferred to other monsters under any circumstances.

How Do I Make My Monsters Cuter?

I know that I'm not the only person who asked the above question, so I want to help you figure out how to make your monsters as cute as possible. I mean, they're going to be following you around through space and time, they might as well be adorable, right?

Each monster can be named out of a pre-determined list so that you can give them all their own personality. I named my trusty Chocobo Chirp, and I love him!

You can also equip your monsters with adornments. Adornments are for aesthetics only, and there are dozens that you can find throughout the game. Chocolina sells a lot of them, and she sells different ones depending where you buy them from her. You can also find adornments in chests and by completing challenges or live trigger events. Chirp's adornment is a Carbuncle Figurine, so it looks like he has a little Carbuncle passenger on him at all times. It's great!

GUIDE: Final Fantasy 13-2 Brain Blast Guide: All The Answers To The New Town (North) Terminal

With this monster beginner's guide you should be well on your way to acquiring and leveling up your monsters to their maximum potential. In a future guide we'll go over the best places to farm for monster materials, some of the best monsters you can get in the game, and more, so stay tuned!

For now, tell me about some of your monsters and why you love them so much.

Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter!

SoulCalibur 5 Character Creation Guide Part 2

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:38:00 -0800

Last week, we brought SoulCalibur 5 users a SoulCalibur 5 creation guide, and provided directions on how to create some very un-SoulCalibur fighters like The Green Lantern and Dovakhiin from Skyrim. Our creative minds didn't stop there, though. The great Donell Tucker and Leah Jackson spent this week making SC5 version of characters like Tinkerbell, Freddy Krueger, Ghost Rider, and many more! Click on the video to check out their work.

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Street Fighter X Tekken Video: Gems, Modes And More

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:54:00 -0800

G4's Donell Tucker and fighting expert Ernie Moreno share their thoughts on the new fighting mechanics and gem system behind Capcom's Street Fighter X Tekken. This fighting franchise comes out in the beginning of March for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PlayStation Vita.

Watch Larger Version | Watch HD Version

Remedy Not Finished With The Alan Wake Series

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:26:00 -0800

If you think Alan Wake's story will end after Alan Wake's American Nightmare, you're just flat out wrong. According to Remedy, there is more Wake on the way.

"Hopefully, we'll have one or two surprises,"Matias Myllyrinne, CEO of Remedy, told Joystiq. "I'm loving the digital [distribution] side and we'll see how that evolves, but just being able to give people quick access to bite-size chunks of gaming is maybe more fun than working for years and years -- taking the phone offline and closing the shutters-- at least, this way, you're able to react much more quickly to people's desires and wishes."

Personally, I'd love to see the next Alan Wake be a downloadable game that is strictly horror. No action elements. No weapons. No arcade-style play. Just pure, unadulterated horror. What do you think?

Source: Joystiq

All of the best people are following Stephen Johnson's twitter feed. Also, email me if you wanna.

Rosario Dawson And Brian Cox To Star In Syndicate

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:59:00 -0800

Electronic Arts has announced that two celebrated actors, Rosario Dawson (Sin City, Men in Black II) and Brian Cox (The Bourne Identity) will star in the sci-fi first person shooter, Syndicate. "The stars take on the role of cutthroat executives working for the biggest and most aggressive syndicate, EuroCorp, in a near-future world ruled by three mega-corporations," said EA.

Rosario Dawson will be play Lily Drawl, the rising star of EuroCorp with a shattered and conflicted psyche. "Lily is torn between the demands of her corporate masters and the underground resistance to syndicate rule. She knows that this balancing act can only last for so long before she falls, most likely, to her death," EA said.

DETAILS: Syndicate Hands-On Impressions: Stealthy Yet Satisfying

“I’m amazed how videogames have become so deep in story, delivering fantastic worlds and memorable characters rivaling big Hollywood films,” said Dawson. “I was excited when EA approached me to play Lily Drawl in Syndicate. She’s an interesting and strong female character. How cool is it to play the mastermind who designed the military chip inside the player’s head!”

Brian Cox will be playing Jack Denham, a ruthless power behind the boardroom throne. Michael Wincott rounds out the cast as Jules Merit. They're both members with significant power at the top of the Eurocorp organization.

Syndicate will be out February 21 for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC.

Do these casting choices make you more excited about Syndicate? Let us know in the comments section.

Have something to share? Sitting on a news tip? E-mail me. You can also follow me on Twitter!

Tiger Woods 13 Preview: Golf! Golf! Golf! Golf!

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:57:00 -0800

Like Tiger Woods himself, Adam "The Riveter" Rosenberg is the product of a lifetime spent in pursuit of a single goal. Woods' dark mistress is golfing perfection, while Rosenberg's is writing game previews. The two met when Rosenberg played Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 recently. Here's a taste of his preview.

"Tiger Woods PGA Tour 13 Hands-on Preview -- You are the Golfer Adam Rosenberg You can, in fact, play through an entire tournament without ever picking up your controller using a series of mostly intuitive hand gestures and body movements. While your golfer is standing at the tee you can raise your left hand up over your eyes, like you're shielding them from sunlight, to go into aiming mode. The camera zooms in on a high-angle view from further down the course, highlighting where the ball is expected to land after you hit it with whichever club you've readied."

Check out the rest of our Tiger Woods 13 preview for more on the game's Kinect integration... but before you do, check out the playable Tiger Woods baby above. Is that the creepiest video game character since Pyramid-head, or is it just me?

Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" Comes To Rock Band

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:48:00 -0800

Every time I post a story about some new DLC coming to the Rock Band Network, I think "This is the last time I do this," but then Harmonix announces another awesome song for download. Next week's tune: Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up." It's time to Rick Roll folks like it's 2007.

Astley joins Heary, Mr. Big and Poison in the Rock Band store. Here's what's coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii on February 14:

Heart - "Alone" O
Mr. Big - "To Be With You" X
Poison - "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" O X
Rick Astley - "Never Gonna Give You Up" O

What do you think? Is Astley enough to blow the dust off your fake plastic instruments and give it a go?

Next Week on X-Play: Reviews of Amalur: Reckoning, Twisted Metal, UFC 3, The Darkness II, and First PS Vita Games!

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:31:00 -0800

Next week on X-Play, the new release season is upon us, and we'll have verdicts on Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, Twisted Metal, UFC Undisputed 3, The Darkness II, and Amy.

Plus, the PS Vita is almost here, and we'll get one in our hands and deliver our first game reviews for this next generation of portable gaming hardware from Sony.

We'll also get Battlefield 3 pro tips from pro gamer Tsquared, and have our top 7 games for Valentine's Day. All this and so much more when a brand new week of X-Play kicks off this Monday at 6:30PM ET.

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