Fresh after his adventures with the Titans, Crash Bandicoot is at it again! Sierra Entertainment has announced Crash Bandicoot: Mind Over Mutant, where Crash has to save his friends from Neo Cortex, who's back with a new device of ultimate evil... and can send out text messages too. Details and screenshots in the full article.

Excited for this year's Fall Dashboard Update for the Microsoft Xbox 360? You very well should be! Not only are we getting a ton of improvements for our mean green machine, but also the ability to download and play games we might have missed on the original Xbox. That's putting the bang in your buck.

Check out the entire scoop about the update via the full article.

Does it really matter if it's Xenon, Cell Broadband Engine, or Broadway? Is it that important to have high RAM and big storage spaces? How is it that much of a deal if a controller is wireless, rumble enabled, and capable of motion-sensing? This generation of video games sure demands powerful hardware like we've never imagined, but what exactly is a "next-gen" experience?  Let's take a look at "next-gen" gaming, and this blogger's thoughts on the video game industry today. Hit that link below to find the full article.

Sierra and Radical Entertainment's Crash of Titans (Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP) is the fourteenth game in the Crash Bandicoot series and has quite a few novel features that fans will enjoy. The one addition that stands out the most though is Crash's new ability called "jacking."

Some of the larger enemies (titans, as they're called) can be jacked by Crash to make them do his bidding. While it may seem like a no-brainer to just keep taking over opponents, it is very important to choose the right titan for each stage. To help you make your decision, here are some facts (with screenshots) about each one:

The first enemy on the list is the Ratcicle, one of the biggest assets of Neo Cortex's mutant army. After you jack it, you gain the Freeze Punks ability which launches two ice beams that will freeze anything it hits. The unit is listed with a threat level of three out of a maximum of five making it a good all around mount. 

  

The second titan - Scorporilla - looks like a cross between a scorpion and a gorilla (duh!). Rumor has it that even Neo Cortex feels nervous when around these behemoths. While jacking one of these creatures is no easy task, it is well worth the effort. The special ability this mount gives Crash is called Ground and Pound, a move which has your new best friend pounding the island with both hands sending a dust cloud at your foes. No one will question the fact that it is rated at a threat level of four out of five.

  

The rest of the titans, their bios, and screenshots in the full article!

Buy: [Crash of the Titans (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Crash of the Titans (Nintendo Wii)]
Buy: [Crash of the Titans (PSP)]
Buy: [Crash of the Titans (Nintendo DS]

This blogger just got back after taking Radical Entertainment's Crash of the Titans Xbox 360 demo for a crash test and thought everyone had to hear about the 3D-platformer king's return. Or at least, the dawn of it all. Developers of Crash Tag Team Racing rolled their up their sleeves once more to deliver us what seems to be a worthy entry to the series, and we're quite happy with the results.

Followers of the classic PlayStation Crash Bandicoot games will feel right at home after booting up this title while fans of platforming/action games have a lot to like in our favorite furry's latest adventure. Guns and robotic sidekicks have no place here, because Crash has enough "friends" at his disposal.

The full article awaits after the jump!

Heads up, bandicoot loving Xbox 360 owners! A demo for the upcoming video game Crash of the Titans just appeared over at Xbox Live Marketplace. The download is for free and should be available for all Xbox Live regions except Asia and Mexico.

The full retail copy, alongside the Wii, PSP and Nintendo DS, is expected to ship in October 2. Crash of the Titans is actually the 14th entry in the much-loved Crash Bandicoot video game franchise. This iteration focuses on the discovery of an element known as Mojo.

The evil Doctor Neo Cortex is planning to use this substance to create a loyal mutant army out of the inhabitants of Crash's homeland Wumpa Islands. The game will have a total of 20 episodes with each containing multiple mini levels.

The demo is around 530.76 MB and is a good way to prepare for the full copy of Radical Entertainment's Crash of the Titans. Enjoy!



Buy: [Crash of the Titans (Xbox 360)]
Buy: [Crash of the Titans (Nintendo Wii)]
Buy: [Crash of the Titans (PSP)]
Buy: [Crash of the Titans (Nintendo DS]

Crash may be the naughty and fun-loving critter that we love for most of the time, but there are times in a video game character's life when he has to stop, think seriously and take the side of the angels in a noble cause. He's set to stop Dr. Neo Cortex in Crash of the Titans on the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony PlayStation Portable and mobile platforms later this year but before he does, he's got more important things in mind.

Crash is currently involved in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's School & Youth program which aims to raise awareness and support from America's youngsters about various blood cancers. He'll be appearing in posters, leaflets and different activities to drum up the campaign and get help where it's needed.

If you haven't heard, Crash has been part of the same movement before. Last year, the Society and Vivendi Games have joined forces in a similar plight and ended up with US$ 18 million in funds to donate to research institutions. They hope to top that this year by bringing in more kids to the scene.

Vivendi's executive vice president of Human Resources expressed the company's sense of honor in the part they are playing to fight blood diseases and said, "Crash is a bandicoot with a big heart; he’s brave, he’s loyal and he’s always ready for a good fight and a great cause. We feel this is a winning combination for a tremendous cause."

Crash Bandicoot is one of the most popular platform-type video game franchises of all time, selling more than 35 million copies of its games ever since its field day in 1996.

The good guys over at Microsoft just updated the backward compatibility list of Xbox games that players can run on their Xbox 360 consoles. If we are not mistaken, this new list brings the full library of backward games to around 300. However, some of the new titles are only available for some regions while some will not come with Live access.

Anyway, a little reminder to you guys especially for those who are still new to this, the original Xbox games will look better on your 360 units running in 720p and 1080i with anti-aliasing. Regarding Xbox Live, take note that cross-platform play is possible between Xbox 360 and the original Xbox.

We know you are all excited to know the new games that have been made compatible with the 360. So we'll stop talking now and give you the list:

• America's Army
• Auto Modellista
• Bass Pro Shops Trophy Hunter 2007
• Blinx 2
• Bloodrayne 2
• Burnout New
• Crash Bandicoot 4
• Crash Bandicoot 5: Wrath of Cortex (Updated)
• Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil
• Drive to Survive
• Drive to Survive (EM)

More titles after the jump!

Now, we've got some talent right here. As an assignment for school, the artist Jeff C. had to do something that he's never done before, and then create a piece of art based on that experience. So what he did was line up for a Wii and then sit down with Illustrator afterwards.

Though the experience was a Wii launch, the piece pretty much summarizes the launch for the PS3 as well, and perhaps even the Xbox 360 launch back in 2005.

Looking at this piece of art, it seems that Crash Bandicoot and Wario have made it to the front of the line and got their consoles early, while our favorite Street Fighters, along with Cloud, got pelted with eggs while they slept in their sleeping bags and tent (at least it wasn't pellets from a BB gun).

Meanwhile, Otacon's sleeping bag is making my head spin, while Black Mage and Kirby are probably nuking it out on ad-hoc mode on their DS Lites. You might also notice that Mario and Luigi may have taken too long saving Princess Toadstool and the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom, that's why they ended up at the back of the line. Awww.

In any case, with a piece of work like this, we'd love to have the artist paint this on our office wall as a mural, or at least turn it into a frame which would pretty much summarize and commemorate the year 2006 in the world of video games. Oh, and this guy had better get an "A+" for this...