Top Ten Video Game Men of 2010

10. War (Darksiders) This dude is one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, more than enough reason to have him on this list.

9. Chuck Greene (Dead Rising 2) Chuck’s masterful ability to create stuff out of junk is without equal. MacGuyver’s got nothing on Chuck. Truly, there is nothing more effective than a roll of duct tape, at least not with Chuck around.

8. Jorge (Halo: Reach) The stoic and brawny Spartan of the Noble Team, he poses the greatest of threats than all the other members. Him being a Spartan-II means that he wasn’t trained to be mass produced like his Spartan-III partners, he was trained to kill foreign enemies and domestic. Also, he can turn any vehicle into a chain-gun mounted kill machine!

7. Tychus Findlay (Starcraft 2) The wise-cracking partner of Jim Raynor may have stolen the show for Starcraft 2. He doesn’t take crap from no one and you certainly don’t want to be on his bad side.

6. Mordin Solus (Mass Effect 2) Perhaps the most likable crew member you pick up along in the game. A brilliant scientist and a hell of a singer make this quirky character well deserved to be on this list.

5. Alan Wake (Alan Wake) A determined writer who will never stop fighting to save his wife. He’s self-sacrificing and creative. Much like the protagonists of the Silent Hill series, Alan Wake is just a regular guy caught up in irregular situations. Plus who else can use light itself as a weapon?

4. Ethan Mars (Heavy Rain) Another regular guy caught in irregular situations is Ethan Mars. A poor father-trying to save his last son from a serial killer, he puts his body through the ringer in this game. He never gives up and will do whatever it takes to save him. Even if it means sacrificing his own life.

3. Agent Frances York Morgan (Deadly Premonition) One of the most peculiar characters of 2010, you can count on him to get the job done. He’s always willing to help out anyone despite trying to solve a series of gruesome murders. Terrible outfits, unshaven, flies buzzin’ around; doesn’t matter to him he’s got a case to solve.

2. Jim Raynor (Starcraft 2) This is a controversial choice because Jim Raynor did not make his debut this year, but rather back in 1998. To which I say; that was 12 years ago! He hasn’t appeared in another game since, and Starcraft: Ghost doesn’t count. The very likable protagonist of the Starcraft series continues his battle against his betrayers. Often laid back and sarcastic, he’s always willing to do the right thing no matter the cost.

1. John Marston (Red Dead Redemption) Probably the most straight forward character, he knows what he wants and he does it. He wants to be with his family and be left alone. Despite all the sin and vice that is bestowed upon him, he is like an unmovable rock and will always remain faithful to his wife. So much shit is dumped on Marston that it’s almost unbelievable that he manages to get out of any of it. John Marston is 2010’s Video Game Man of the year.

Top Ten Video Game Women of 2010

2010 is about to come to a close and now it’s time for everyone’s favorite thing in the world Top Ten Lists! Our first Top Ten List is the Top Ten Video Game Women of 2010.

10. Big Sister (Bioshock 2) While the Big Daddies of the first Bioshock were scary initially, they quickly became boring and predictable. This is remedied with the sequel’s main enemy the Big Sister. Quick and limber, she’ll stop at nothing until you are dead. Fear her! FEAR HER!

9. Pit Girl (Monday Night combat) When your armor is melting, and your weapons are crapping out, you know there’s always one person who can be there to lend a hand as well as provide some vocal support. Southern Belles are always the best.

8. Lightning [Claire Farron] (Final Fantasy XIII) This installment’s protagonist is one of very few females of the long beloved series. At first she is cold and distant but has great compassion for her sister and group mates. She also wears a half-cape. More women should wear half-capes.

7. Kat (Halo: Reach) This Spartan 3 is the brains of Noble Team, brilliant and a hell of a computer wiz. It’s also nice that she has a sexy Israeli accent.

6. Veronica (Fallout: New Vegas) The digital incarnation of Felicia Day is in full force here. Not only does she lend her enjoyable voice but also her sparkly personality. This robed woman who roams the wastes all alone can pack quite a punch with her trusty Power Fist. Despite her incredible ability to make guys ‘splode with one punch, her one goal in life is to own a pretty dress. Classy girl.

5. Emily Wyatt (Deadly Premonition) The very definition of the girl next door, a no-nonsense woman who wants to protect those she cares about. She also knows how to clean up well when the time comes. This lovely woman is also one of the most tragic characters of 2010.

4. Oerba Yun Fang (Final Fantasy XIII) This sultry tan-skinned woman is arguably the best character in Final Fantasy XIII. Strong, determined and fiercely loyal to her friends, all coupled together with a sexy Australian accent.

3. Madison Paige (Heavy Rain) Courageous and intelligent, this hot young journalist will stop at nothing to get a story and solve dangerous mysteries. Ever the helpful partner, you can always count on her to put her own body on the line, in more ways than one.

2. Bayonetta (Bayonetta) What can be said about Bayonetta that hasn’t already been said or even attempted to be said? She’s a woman that lacks any definitive description just like her own self-titled game. She fights monsters with her guns, legs, and even hair! Every one of her polygons is designed to be overly seductive. You know you’ll never be cool enough to hang with this unearthly creature. However, despite this she is not our winner for she has one fatal flaw, she’s trying WAY TOO hard.

1. Miranda Lawson (Mass Effect 2) Yes, the biotc femme fatale of Mass Effect 2 is my Video Game Woman of 2010. The most useful team member you pick up immediately is also the one I used all the way throughout the rest of the game. She was bred to be the best woman in the galaxy, and it sure worked since even the developers couldn’t help themselves from having Miranda show off her booty in every shot she’s in.

EA President Thinks Single-Player Games are Finished

Ah Electronic Arts. You've pissed me off so much during this year. With your arrogance and complete lack of understanding the used games market-- you sure have been right behind Activision in publishers that deserve great ire. Well the President of Electronic Arts, Frank Gibeau has divulged us on his new idea that single player games will become a thing of the past.

According to Joystiq, Gibeau said in an interview with Develop Online, that they're "very comfortable moving the discussion towards how we make connected gameplay - be it co-operative or multiplayer or online services - as opposed to fire-and-forget, packaged goods only, single-player, 25-hours-and you're out. I think that model is finished."

So just to be clear, the President of EA, says that single player games will inevitably be replaced with multiplayer games. Not the dumbest of viewpoints, after all, with the Call of Duty series dominating the multiplayer market, how can anyone not think that multiplayer will continue to grow? However, to think that single player focused games will lose all support in favor of multiplayer games is not only ridiculous but quite frightening.

There's plenty of single player games that are perfectly fine on their own without being hindered by some tacked on multiplayer.

Alan Wake

Heavy Rain

Enslaved

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Limbo

Mass Effect 2

Bayonetta

Darksiders

Just to name a few from this year alone. Some games just don't lend themselves well to multiplayer, co-operative or competitive. However, I'm sure the President of EA knows this...

Oh Hai Dead Space 2 Multiplayer!

Also not all developers can afford to buy and maintain servers for online actions. Personally I'd say they're are too many online multiplayer games. It's gotten to the point that unless you can take on Call of Duty then you might as well have not bothered working on an expensive multiplayer mode. Most gamers play one online game and one online game only. People don't have the time or even the money to dedicate for multiple online games.

It really begs the question as to why President Gibeau would go and say such a stupid thing. Clearly he should know that not all games can be multiplayer focused. I mean what would he have to gain from every game going online?

OHO!!! Project 10 Dollar! We meet again!

There's no use wondering, it's all very clear. It benefits EA because of their shady new project. Designed to make consumers pay extra money for something that is completely legal and has been around for as long as video games have. Pay extra money for online support that they will inevitably take down in two years. Don't buy into this corporate bullshit. Single-player games are going nowhere and Frank Gibeau should stop lying to people.

Game Cop will be present at the WoW: Cataclysm US Launch Event

With only two days before the launch of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, Blizzard has announced the locations of the major launch events all over the world. This year shows that they are focusing much more heavily on Europe as there will be only one US launch event orchestrated by Blizzard themselves. And it just so happens that the event will be within driving distance of Game Cop HQ. You can expect a gallery of pics taken at the event, and we'll even give you a list of 5 things you need to survive a midnight launch.

PSP2 leaked?

The rumor-mill never stops turning as leaked images have found their way onto the great white expanse that is the internet. We've already covered the supposed images of the PSP Phone, now we finally have an idea on what the PSP2 could conceivably be.
VG247 has two images of what looks like a PSP Go with TWO THUMBSTICKS!

Hell, it truly is about fuckin' time!

Bioware will announce newest game at Spike VGAs

Bioware has announced that it will reveal its newest game at the Spike Video Game Awards on December 11th. A trailer from Spike has been provided with very brief glimpses of the new game. Nothing else is available but people have come to the conclusion that it is Mass Effect related. As the soldier in the image is holding a rifle that apparently is available in Mass Effect 2. It's far too early for it to be Mass Effect 3, so it's possibly a spinoff of Mass Effect 2. Or a continuation of it, much like Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. We have 4 weeks to go till we find out.

Fallout: New Vegas DLC named and detailed

George Washington's corpse approves.

Bethesda has announced the name, date and content of the first DLC for Fallout: New Vegas. The DLC is titled "Dead Money" and will feature a new area, possibly new companions, new quests and more of the stuff you want from the game. It is scheduled to be released in December 21st. Don't forget this DLC is exclusive to Xbox 360. Though this is expected to be temporary.

Diablo 3 coming to consoles? [UPDATED]

On the official job listings page for Blizzard Entertianment's official site shows a laundry list of positions. Most surprising is a listing for game programmers for the Diablo 3 section. However, these are listed as programmers for consoles. Does this mean that console gamers can expect a port of Blizzard's next big game? I'd say it's quite likely, as the first Diablo game was ported over to the original Playstation way back when. And with Diablo 3 being touted as being so easy you can control it with only a mouse, a console port could be real simple.

UPDATE: Blizzard has come out and clarified their job postings as a "Diablo-Related Concept" that they are interested in exploring. Not so much Diablo 3.

Naturally the PC snobs of the world were pissed off at the idea of the dirty console scum suckers touching their glorious pie. As if giving them a piece would sully the pie as a whole, but Blizzard has assured that the PC and MAC version will be their priority and no console interpretation will affect the final product in anyway.

Marvel vs Capcom 3 dables into Marvel C-listers with She-Hulk...oh and Zero too

The crossover fighting game Marvel vs Capcom 3 has just announced two new challengers. Zero from the Megaman series, and She-Hulk? Really? Well whatever, the videos of the two new fighters are available online.

Sly 4 Teaser Trailer Discovered

A teaser trailer for Sly 4 has been uncovered today from the Sly Cooper HD Collection for the PS3. Turns out if you can achieve a platinum trophy for all three games, an option appears in the main menu that takes you to the trailer. A pretty nice easter egg, if we do say so ourselves.

The Sly series has always been developed by Sucker Punch, however they are currently still hard at work with Infamous 2- which is still a full year away. So it's unsure when Sly 4 will be released, unless it's being developed by another developer, but it's far too early to speculate.

Here's the shaky cam video of the teaser.

"What went wrong with Metroid?" Nintendo wants to know.

Here's an ironically funny- if not sad story. According to Kotaku, Nintendo is looking into what exactly went wrong with the sales of their latest Triple-A title Metroid: Other M.

Sales for the new Metroid game have been modest but Nintendo was expecting to sell at least a million copies. As it stands now, the game has sold half that, and their initial goal is no longer expected to be achievable. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime told Kotaku

"We're not going to get there, not through the holiday. And we are doing a lot of thinking as to why. Because it's a great game. The consumer reaction because of the quality has been strong. We're doing a lot of thinking about why we didn't get there. I think the marketing was strong, advertising was very good, the social media we did was very positive."

Reviews for the game really have been mixed overall. Most have praised the game for it's visuals -especially for a console that has not been known to produce beautiful graphics. Many have also been warm to the unique gameplay as a mix of third person brawling and first person shooting. However, there has been equal parts criticisms of the game, from the story, the controls, voice acting and what is perhaps the most heavily criticized aspect is the characterization of famed video game heroine Samus Aran.

When asked about the handling of the Samus character, Reggie Fils-Aime added,

"First off, I have nothing but the greatest respect for the development team. Mr. Sakamoto (co-creator of Metoid) did a wonderful job. His partnership with us in promoting the game was stellar. Team Ninja is absolutely fabulous. I'm not going to sit here and criticize a style of the game, but have I read the same feedback that said, broadly, that the portrayal of Samus felt different than how the player in the past had internalized the character? I've heard and read the same feedback. Do I think it's warranted or not? I'm not quite sure yet... I don't yet believe that that is the driving factor to the performance of the game."

Game Cop isn't a site run by Game's analysts but we can offer a list of things that could have contributed to the unexpected sales for Metroid: Other M.

1. Wii owners are not interested in big budget action games.
2. People who were interested in the game don't want to play it on the Wii.
3. The voice acting is horrendous
4. The story is needlessly melodramatic
5. No one knew what sense to make of the game despite the commercials.

We'll be posting a Metroid: Other M Post-mortem before the end of the year. So you'll know exactly what we thought of the game in the near future.

Nintendo files trademark on 'It's on like Donkey Kong?'

According to CNN, Nintendo has filed a trademark with the patent office in order to secure the trading rights to an Ice Cube lyric in which Ice says, "It's on like Donkey Kong."

More than likely this is a result of Donkey Kong Country Returns being released soon. Of course we're surprised why it took them this long to act. But we're even more surprised that you can at least file a trademark on something that is already copywrited by another artist. Who knew?

Armed Robbers make off with over 100 copies of COD: Black Ops

Well today marks the release date for one of 2010's most anticipated titles Call of Duty: Black Ops from Treyarch.

Unfortunately two men were a little too excited and decided to roll on into their local Gamestop in Hardford County on Sunday, armed with handguns and demanded the store hand over their entire stock of the game. The Baltimore Sun says that they carried out four crates full of the game, making well over 100 copies of Black Ops. They must be big fans.

The Baltimore Sun also suspects that these men were involved in other gaming related robberies in the nearby area. Looks like Gamestop is quickly becoming the new 7-11 in terms of robbery hot zones. Which is quite sad considering that Gamestops are terrible places to pick up slushees while robbing.

Heavy Rain Behind-the-Scenes video fills some plot holes

We here at Game Cop are fans of Quantic Dreams' interactive drama Heavy Rain. Despite this however, the game is still broken from a narrative perspective. Plot lines were brought up early on and then quickly forgotten about, characters knew things they shouldn't and even Helen Keller could tell that the child actors couldn't speak with a convincing American accent.

But the following video was posted on the Playstation Network showing some concept art and deleted scenes in which some of the plot holes were at one time filled.

Let this be a lesson to aspiring writers, it's ideal not to cut important plot elements out of your story at the last minute.

Of course it's up to you to decide what's worse: aggravating plot holes, or inexplicable paranormal elements?

*Spoilers ahead*

Direct TV drops G4, like the bag of bricks that it is.

Well apparently Olivia Munn leaving G4 was all that was needed for Direct TV to drop the *cough* video game network that we all know and love. Apparently, ratings have been at an all time low for too long. The satellite provider has decided that it will no longer carry this...awesome? network about...video games?

Direct TV representative clarifies,

Since G4 is among the lowest rated networks based on the latest Nielsen data, we decided that it made sense to focus on preserving programming that is more relevant to our larger customer base.

A G4 rep replied with the following statement, no doubt without a straight face.

We have been trying to engage DirecTV in fair and reasonable discussions to continue to carry G4. G4 offered DirecTV the same basic deal we have had for the past three years. However they still plan to drop the network and deny G4 fans the only network that focuses on the popular gaming lifestyle.

Truly this is a disastrous event for humanity. Where else will Direct TV gamers get their nonstop reruns of shows people stopped caring about a decade ago? Truly these are the end of days!

XBOX dashboard update coming Nov. 1

Tomorrow will be the day in which XBox will receive it's new Kinect compatible dashboard. Along with added features of ESPN3, new voice chat, and fresh new avatars.

Playstation phone prototype leaks to the internet

Corporate synergy has finally culminated within Sony as a rumored project between Sony Ericsson and Sony Computer Entertainment of America to produce a cross platform have not only emerged but have totally been leaked.

Courtesy of Engadget, a picture of a prototype Playstation phone has suddenly appeared and bears an uncanny resemblance to the PSP Go. Reports of SCEA being approached by Ericsson with prospects of producing a video game phone have been around for a while now. Though initial reports said that SCEA declined the offer by Ericsson almost immediately. Recent reports showed that SCEA had changed their mind on the idea and development had begun.

We hear at Game Cop are surprising somewhat excited about this phone. The iPhone has already taken control of the market of mobile gaming, but if there's one company that could overtake them it would be the combined efforts of Ericsson and SCEA. With Sony's experience in gaming and the brand recognition of Sony Ericsson could prove to be a serious competitor for Apple. Though it'll be a hell of an upward battle to say the least. What may make or break this phone will be whether or not it supports apps the same way the iPhone does.

The Playstation phone still has not been announced but I'd say we can expect something in the very near future.

PSP Go price drop - people still don't care.

Sony has just announced that the PSP Go will receive a price drop from $249 to $199. This price is for the North American region where as the United Kingdom will also recieve a price drop to £159.

However, for those who are unaware of the current conversion rate between the Pound and Dollar. Keep in mind that £159 is about equal to $251. Yes that's right, the UK is getting a price reduction to be where the PSP Go's price started at in North America when it first launched.

Which is so tragically funny that I have to feel sorry that our fellow Brits are still paying way too much for things that simply aren't worth it.

It's not like it really matters anyway. People still won't buy it. It's earlier models are still far superior in that they have been cheaper for far longer and have a much wider library for games.

I mean which would you rather have? For $200 you can buy a PSP3000 or a PSP Go.

Both are the same price, but where as the PSP Go is a fully downloadable gaming device, the PSP3000 can not only download all of the same games, but can also play physical media that isn't available on the Playstation Network.

You'd be a fool to go for the PSP Go. Sure, carrying around the physical disks may be cumbersome at points, but that's hardly noteworthy when knowing that there are some games that are impossible to play on the PSP Go.

And not the least of which is that we already know that the PSP2 is hot on the trails. Who is going to want to buy this impotent handheld that's going to be obsolete in another year or so?

Aww Hell!

WoW: Cataclysm will launch both physically and digitally at the same time.

Another big news at Blizzcon was the announcement that the latest expansion for World of Warcraft will be available for download at the same time as the physical retail version. This will be a first for Warcraft as the downloadable versions have always been released shortly after retail versions.

Having a simultaneous release gives customers some more options. As anyone whose seen the documentary Second Skin can attest, that WoW fans want their expansion as soon as possible and waiting for even a single day can be too much for some. So, not only will players be able to purchase the game digitally at the same time as the pyshical copies; they'll actually be able to download it earlier. However, they still will have to wait till the release date for them to actually access the contents of the expansion.

It's pretty exciting when you think about it. If you don't want to wait in a long line in the freezing cold (remember it will be early December at midnight-that's pretty fuckin' cold for most people) then you can sit quietly in your own home and wait comfortably as the clock ticks down.

Personally I'll be having my copy delivered from Amazon because of their great video game deals. And I'll be too tired to play the game at midnight so waiting the next day will be just fine for me. But for everyone else, this will prove to be a great thing. Afterall, who doesn't want to get in the game as quickly as possible so they can quest in zones with thousands of people, breaking the servers, waiting endlessly for mobs to spawn, as well as waiting in queues for hours.

Launch day is always so much fun.;-)

Minecraft Hackers say, "We love the game, that's why we're breaking it."

Minecraft (possibly the biggest game to come right out of nowhere) has been experiencing some stability issues. Players of the content creating game have been having significant slowdowns and have been having a hard time playing the game. The reason for this is an orchestrated DDoS attack.

What is a DDoS attack?

A DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) is an attack meant to make a computer resource unavailable to its intended users. How this is done is to have computer bots in the thousands constantly and simultaneously logging into the service thus creating slowdowns.

The reason for this is not known until an anonymous posting appeared on, where else, 4Chan.

Aw yes 4chan, if ever there was a reason for the internet to be utterly destroyed it would be because of you.

Anyway, the posting is of someone taking responsibility for the minecraft attacks saying that this attack is a result of disgruntled Minecraft customers who are upset about lack of updates for the $12 game that is currently in Alpha stage.

The full post:

"Minecraft is currently experiencing a stimulation provided by us.

It’s purpose is to send Notch a clear message of how the future of minecraft will turn out unless he gets to work, namely by influencing the amount of sales taking place, due to the attacks.

Start providing your customers with the updates that you promise them.

We have roughly 83,000 bots available, and preserved for this seizure, we could if we wanted to keep this going for weeks, however we have decided to give it a week, and see whether or not your attitude, and commitment will change, we believe it will when money stops rolling in for the time being…

anyhow, no we’re not from roblox, or any other minecraft clone, not to mention none of us have been around 4chan for years, and nor has any real 4channers for that matter, its all newf**s now, and has been for quite a few years.”

Minecraft creator Markus Persson has filed a protection service against these types of attacks and has begun work on a more powerful server.

Frankly if it were me, I'd shut down Minecraft just to spite the whining man-babies, but that's why I'm not a game developer.

This supposed representative claims to not be from 4chan, but the absolute backwards idiocy that surrounds this post can only come from a 4chan user. To call these attacks retarded would be the greatest insult to retarded people, not even they would be so stupid as to get behind this. It would be like me holding the post office hostage because my issue of Gameinformer was late.

We can only hope that Minecraft can continue back to normal despite these ridiculous attacks. And to the supposed attacker, I have only this to say.

Blizzard Unviels last class for Diablo 3

This weekend is Blizzcon weekend and for Blizzard's big announcement, was the announcement of Diablo 3's fifth and last class for players to play. And the class is...

Demon Hunter!

The Demon Hunter's is basically the Hunter from WoW but without a pet. They'll be toting grenades, exploding bolas, throwing knives and a fiery molten arrow.

The Demon Hunter will join the Barbarian, Witch Doctor, Wizard, and Monk to round out the entirety of Diablo 3.

Here's the announcement trailer.

Gerstmann-Gate 2.0 Actively Happening?

According to Dan Hsu (former EGM Columnist and co-founder of Bitmob.com) has gone on twitter saying that websites have had their negative reviews of Fallout: New Vegas taken down due to advertiser pressure. You'd think after Jeff Gerstmann was fired from Gamespot for giving a somewhat negative review of Kane and Lynch, that publishers would avoid getting mixed up in something like that.

BUT.

This shit has been going on all the time, not to the degree of Gerstmann-Gate, sure. But there have been lots of PR nightmares where publishers and developers have had foot-in-mouth moments about negative reviews of games. Though few of them result in reviews getting taken down. It's still a little early so I will be posting more on this supposed scandal.