Although the exact integrity and quality of Spike Video Game Awards every year has been variously suspect, the media glitz surrounding them has been a major industry even for years for now, with big name video games like Mass Effect 3, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception, The Last of Us, Dark Souls II, and Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, all getting their world premieres there.

Looks like the organizers understand that: this year’s Spike VGA have been renamed to VGX, with more of an emphasis on world premieres and gameplay demoes for the video games, and less on the actual awards. The setting will be an intimate studio setting, and it will focus on extended gameplay demoes and trailers for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One software.

As if to drive home the point even further, no nominees for the actual awards have been revealed yet (although you can vote for the most anticipated game).

The Spike VGX 2013 take place December 7. Stay tuned.

Exclusive to the Playstation 3, the newest edition to the franchise allows one to exist in an era where Japan’s isolation has been ended and talks have begun with the West. Trade talks are important, but then, so is deciding on a matching hakama and blade.

Check out all the new gameplay changes in the trailer.

The Deadliest Warrior games, based on the Spike TV show, are not among those. The first game was simply awful, and the second one, Legends, while a marginal improvement, was still simply not worth the time. Plagued with bad design decisions and poor production values, the games overall reeked of a rushed, desperate attempt to cash in on the show’s craze.

Unfortunately, all of those adjectives can be used to describe Ancient Combat, this compilation of the first two games released via retail, as well. Everything, from the way the two games are handled on the disc (as downloads, which then have to be installed, after first exiting from the game disc menu), to some shocking oversights (Achievements scores add up only to 510 points, for instance), to the intolerably long loading times, means that the disc feels like a literal copy and pasting of the digital games onto a disc- the laziest sort of rehashing imaginable.

As for the games themselves? The Deadliest Warrior games are based on the premise of having famous figures from history square off against each other. While the first game features generic fighters, the second game gets bold, and names specific figures of note, such as Alexander, Joanne of Arc, Gengis Khan, Atila the Hun, and so many more. The game’s combat system initially seems highly attractive and intricate, striving, as it claims to, for realism. Unfortunately, while there seem to be a few good ideas here, the combat system in these games can be said to be for realistic fighting game combat systems what Angry Birds is to puzzle games- apparently it’s complicated and governed by some concrete rules, but what these are, no one can know, since everything seems random, and seems to happen on the whim of the game engine.

Fights sometimes seem to drag on for what seems like forever, with every attack blocked, swords clanging on shields, your opponents providing deft dodges. It doesn’t make any sense, then, how a single misplaced blow, or a stray arrow, can suddenly kill them and end the fight. Then there’s the added issue of every character feeling the same- or well, mostly the same.

In Deadliest Warrior, every character fills a specific niche (of which there aren’t even all that many), and within that niche, all the characters feel identical. To the game’s credit, it tries to mix and match it up, by providing unlockable armor and weapons, but this mostly falls flat as a transparent attempt at fixing an issue that is much deeper than the mostly cosmetic changes that the armor and weapons generally provide.

It also tries to add some depth to its baffling combat by having for dismembered limbs and injuries, both of which provide disabilities that last through the battle and actively hinder your character’s fighting style. Unfortunately, this too, like everything else in the game, seems totally random, and therefore, any scope for added strategy that it might have had is lost.

Online play functions surprisingly well, with the netcode in this game being smooth, with no lags, no hiccups, no hangups. Of course, finding a game in the first place is problematic, given that the online community literally seems dead.

There is nothing redeeming about this pair of games. At least it can be said that the second game genuinely tries to fix everything wrong with the first- it adds a new mode, for instance, that tries to be a turn based strategy/fighter hybrid, but kind of fails, and it has specific characters, rather than just generic figures. But that’s about it, and even then, it fails to address all the important problems, such as the problematic combat system. When the best part of this compilation is not the games themselves, but the episodes of the TV show that are provided on the second disc, you know that you have a problem. A problem that you’d do best to avoid, by keeping as far away from Deadliest Warrior: Ancient Combat as you can bring yourself to.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox 360.

In an interesting turn of events, Geoff Keighly’s Xbox Live account has got hacked! This is the same hack that is prevalent nowadays, with Microsoft denying that their service has been breached. We covered it in detail a few months ago, which you can read over here.

He tweeted all these info a few hours back and seemed upset.

He said, “Fun times – looks like one of my XBOX Live accounts was just hacked and someone had fun buying a lot of “GOLD JUMBO PACKS” today.

Just talked to Xbox Live support – My Xbox Live account will now be locked for *25 DAYS* while they conduct an investigation!”

“Regarding by Xbox hack, yes, someone played FIFA 12 and earned 3 achievements. Did the same happen to you? Seems like an issue,” he added.

It’s about time Microsoft does something regarding this, as it’s happening to a lot of people. Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Spike has just revealed a small teaser for Bioware’s new game, and it’s… weird. I mean, I have no idea what I just saw, except some Tanks getting destroyed. Hey Bioware! We want RPGs, not Rocket Propelled Grenades. But earlier there was an image shown via Gameinformer of a dude bailing out of a destroyed vehicle.

I don’t know what Bioware is attempting here, but check out the video for yourself. The game seems like a Sci-fi shooter, but why would Bioware make a game like that? It can’t be a new RPG from Bioware, but them seem to be making something else here. A new IP? Who knows.

Tell us in the comments section below.

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***Please note this walkthrough was not uploaded by GamingBolt.com

Special thanks to Youtube user MrRetroKid91.

Check out more video game walkthroughs here.

Without further ado, let’s begin!

Namco Bandai today announced that Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi is now available for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

“Fans of the Dragon Ball series will appreciate the attention to detail taken in mirroring the popular franchise,” said Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing, NAMCO BANDAI Games America. “Fight presentations including battles with giant bosses and additional levels and fighters from the movies and Dragon Ball GT series are amongst the ways we’ve drawn from the original anime.”

Stay tuned to GB for more news and updates.

The new show titled GTTV Presents Battlefield 3: Operation Gridiron will air on Spike TV this fall.  The show takes Quarterback Drew Brees, Linebacker Clay Matthews, Wide Receiver Larry Fitzgerald, and Defensive End Jared Allen and putting them in to real combat. In association with Battlefield 3, they will be using guns from the game and have scenarios setup just like the game. Filmed at a top secret location, these athletes can see if they can put their team work to the test as they battle it out in scenarios players will face in the game.  Check out Episode 3 above.

Starting today, weekly Tuesday webisodes will be posted at 9:00am PDT on the Battlefield Facebook page. The finale will air on Spike TV on October 24 at 12:00am EST/PDT and at 11:00pm CST. Gamers can “LIKE” Battlefield 3 on www.facebook.com/battlefield to view the Battlefield 3: Operation Gridiron webseries.

Namco Bandai today announced that Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi will release on October 25th for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

With Earth-shaking combat, massive character selection, faithful manga-style graphics and exciting new features, Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi is the newest fighting game in the Dragon Ball series. Developed by Spike Co. Ltd., the title features upgraded battle environmental and character graphics, with designs from the original manga series. Destructible battle fields, including massive craters and ki energy blasts cutting across the sky deliver a more dynamic experience and immediate sense of urgency to the exhilarating fights. An accessible battle system allows gamers of all ages to enjoy the fast-paced battles while still retaining tactical depth for hardcore fans.

Dragon Ball Z Ultimate Tenkaichi will be available throughout North America on October 25, 2011.