In between the slew of Avión product placements this season, Entourage’s Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) was seen playing Kinect Sports on tonight’s episode. Well played Microsoft, well played.

With the release of Metroid: Other M only days away, Nintendo of America have taken it upon themselves to run a live-action ad for the upcoming action-adventure. The moody sixty second spot sees a Zero Suit Samus reflecting on her past, and if the commercial is anything to go by, Other M will live up to its promise to deliver the best story-driven experience ever to grace a Metroid title.

Metroid: Other M for the Wii will release later this month in North America (Aug 31), and early next month in Europe (Sept 3).

Forget BioShock 2 and get ready for the “true sequel” to the 2007 smash-hit. Irrational Games and Ken Levine dropped jaws this evening with it’s reveal for BioShock Infinite – mouth-watering HD trailer attached. From what we hear the game plays as good as it looks, set pieces are scripted stunningly and the live gameplay demo on hand was “almost too good” according to Eurogamer. Synopsis after the break.

BioShock Infinite is a first-person shooter currently in development at Irrational Games, the studio behind the original BioShock (which sold over 4 million units worldwide). Set in 1912, BioShock Infinite introduces an entirely new narrative and gameplay experience that lifts players out of the familiar confines of Rapture and rockets them to Columbia, an immense city in the sky.

Former Pinkerton agent Booker DeWitt has been sent to rescue Elizabeth, a young woman imprisoned in Columbia since childhood. Booker develops a relationship with Elizabeth, augmenting his abilities with hers so the pair may escape from a city that is literally falling from the sky. DeWitt must learn to fight foes in high-speed Sky-Line battles, engage in combat both indoors and amongst the clouds, and harness the power of dozens of new weapons and abilities.

Don’t count on seeing it on shelves any time soon though, Infinite is still a good 16 months away from completion *sigh*. Let the wait begin…

“HYDROOOO THUNDER!” Ah yes, how can those of us who poured quarters into the arcades in the late nineties forget about the classic, boost-filled arcade racer. For those of you less familiar with the franchise, Hydro Thunder was an arcade game released in 1999 that benefited from it’s over the top jumps, drops and roaring high-speed boats. The series had been left untouched for years until Vector Unit and Microsoft Game Studios teamed up to reimagine the sequel, Hydro Thunder: Hurricane. Does the successor live up to its famous arcade predecessor – hit the jump to find out!

You’re a Boat

Staying true to its arcade successor, Hurricane’s story is as elementary as they come; you are a boat, go really fast and beat all the other boats at everything possible. Pretty straight forward. However, what Hurricane lacks in story is made up for by it’s addictive credit system. In the single player mode, the player will earn credits as they advance through the game by winning races and improving their times. As you earn these credits, new boats, courses, and game modes will be unlocked. Fortunately for Hurricane, it’s just enough to keep the player interested while still motivating them to learn the ins and outs of the courses.

Oh, and there is an announcer who will both congratulate and scold you in the same monotonous voice. A very odd choice, considering the entire game is supposed to be an adrenaline filled kaleidoscope of action, racing and stunts.

The water, it’s…it’s miraculous.

Use the Boost to Get Through

The true beauty of this game lies in the challenge of learning where to boost, when to jump, and where to cut the line. Mastering each course and understanding when to use those precious seconds of thrust are key in advancing to the other tracks and game modes. Completionists will be happy to know that Vector Unit has included ten Hydro Thunder medallions to collect in each track, which will unlock new skins for the different boats.

Hurricane offers players four different single player modes and adds two other multiplayer components to the mix. In addition to the familiar Race and Championship modes, Vector Unit has included Ring Master, which, not surprisingly, involves traveling through a predetermined course of rings while Gauntlet litters the track with explosive barrels.

Sea monsters and Vikings only add to the arcade action.

Unfortunately, I found the latter two modes more irritating than enjoyable. Hydro Thunder is first and foremost about jetting through levels and pushing your boat’s engine to the limit; modes such as Ring Master that have you carefully following a rigid path of rings fly directly in the face of the game’s real fun.

Fortunately the game offers the excellent option of local four-player split-screen, or racing against up to eight players over Xbox Live. Hurricane shines when it comes to replayability and offers modes of gameplay that are sure to keep you occupied until you get your $15 out of it.

Slow Down, You Might Miss the _______

Everything about Hurricane is fast. It’s exceptionally easy to blast through the game with your eyes only focusing on the blur of color around in peripheral. Despite having only eight tracks to choose from, environments are vibrant and unique enough to make each level feel like a new experience. From obstacle ridden ice fields of Asgard to the built-for-speed Japanese waterpark, each of the courses boast an interesting world full of color that truly conveys an arcade experience. Unfortunately, at 30fps, Hurricane’s gorgeous visuals are prone to the occasional slow down. Be that as it may, the game has enough colossal drops and hairpin turns to really give the player a sense of speed every time they hit that boost.

The real shining aspect of Hydro Thunder’s design is the feel and look of the water. I guess that is the one aspect of a boat racing game that should stand out the most, but seriously – this water is great. In addition to looking phenomenal, a player who knows how the waves move and break will have a distinct advantage at the finish line. Understanding how your boat reacts to the rough seas is a vital part of the strategy in Hurricane, and has the ability to change the entire outcome of a race.

There is no shortage of speed in Hurricane.

The fast paced, electronic music is exactly what you’d expect from a Hydro Thunder title. The soundtrack definitely adds to the spot-on-arcade-feel but is ultimately forgettable. Between the announcer repeatedly demanding that you boost and the high speed boats crashing into each other, the soundtrack of Hurricane is almost muted by distractions. Let’s be honest though, in a game that is this fast and this simple, all you need is some generic arcade techno.

Verdict

Hydro Thunder: Hurricane feels like summer in every way possible, and it’s naturally a perfect fit for the Summer of Arcade. However, it’s more than just a quick and dirty remake of a classic arcade hit; Hurricane feels like a brand new experience that captures the nostalgic arcade feel of racing games past.

Alan Wake’s first add-on episode, The Signal, was released on the Xbox Live Marketplace today – hurrah! If you bought the game “new” you should have received a token, allowing free access to the game’s first episode of downloadable content – double hurrah!

The problem with this was loads of people (including myself), scratched away the strip and redeemed their free code right away after opening the game at launch – something the token never warned against might I add.

Well those unlucky few that redeemed too early were suffered to wait today until Microsoft sent out the new codes. Some received their replacement code straight away while others, like me, still haven’t received anything.

For those of you still waiting, make sure your email address is tied to your Xbox Live account and keep checking back for updates. Oh and don’t forget to check out The Signal’s official trailer after the break, we should be in for a treat judging by the look of it – I wouldn’t know though.

Update: New day. No code. Microsoft have really dropped the ball on this one. People are fuming over being forced to wait for these codes, some people have even finished it and are waiting on the game’s second DLC, The Writer.

Here’s something I found over on the Alan Wake Forums that’s worth a try, I didn’t work when for me but I hear its working for some.

On your Xbox 360, press the Guide/Home Button
Go along to Settings and down to Account Management
Then click on Download History
Find “Alan Wake Downloadable Content” in your history and download again

Let us know if you manage to get it working.

Update 2: Remedy sent me code early this morning, followed by Microsoft. Looks like I’ll finally get around to playing this DLC afterall.

Kicking off this year’s annual Summer of Arcade comes the award-winning puzzle-platformer, Limbo – an extraordinary little title from Danish developer, PlayDead Studios. Following the likes of Braid and Lucidity on XBLA, Limbo succeeds in all the right places – but does its distinct art style and clever puzzles make it worthy of a place on your digital shelf? Hit the jump and dive in as we give our verdict on a journey through hell’s edge.

Entering Limbo

In Limbo the player assumes the role of a nameless young boy who is uncertain of his sister’s fate and so enters Limbo setting forth on a journey of unproportional magnitude. Unfortunately, unless you’ve read the game’s description, the game does very little to remind you what the hell’s happening (no pun intended) and why you are where you are.

Despite the lack of narrative, Limbo impressively manages to build a strong connection with the player from the start, without sparing even as much as a word. For some strange reason the hope of finding something, anything even, will keep the player ploughing on until the very end.

Don't let Limbo's simple controls fool you - Major Nelson

Good Old Puzzles and Platforming

A simple control scheme (above) has you at one with the game from the minute you start, after all PlayDead aren’t about to lose you here. Instead the game’s puzzles offer up the real challenge and intend to keep, frustrate and kill – over and over again. Adopting a trial-and-error approach, the game requires patience and experimentation – and lots of it. You’ll fail countless of times only to pick yourself up again and give it one last go.

When you’re not solving the game’s mind-bending puzzles, you’ll likely be hurdling death pits and bear traps. The platforming elements require precise button presses at times; gaps can just about be jumped and boulders just about avoided – it all comes down to timing. Both elements of the game work in tandem and create a fantastic gameplay experience for the player – one not to be missed.

Damn those onlookers!

Watch Out

From the minute you wake you’re instantly thrown onto this roller coaster ride through Limbo. The game doesn’t let up and you always feel like dangers lurk right around the corner. Set pieces are woven into the game beautifully and you soon begin to learn it’s never a good sign when quiet turns to silence – which usually means you’re about to die.

The game can be completed in five to six hours depending on the gamer’s puzzle solving abilities, though I’ve heard it’s been beaten in less. Retailing for 1200 MS Points (£10/$15) it doesn’t exactly scream value for money, there’s not much replayability unless you’re an achievement whore and even then the online leaderboard lacks key stats rendering the game useless after completion – fortunately this is the game’s only drawback.

Not for Kids

In case you haven’t noticed, Limbo is stunning! It’s dreary grey visuals and stark black silhouettes tear through the screen and encapsulate you within its hauntingly beautiful world almost immediately – though that’s not to say it’s all pretty.

The game doesn’t shy from being gruesome and after your first bear trap you’ll soon realise how messy it all gets thanks to Limbo’s brilliant physics limb-chopping engine. Bodies decorate the forest halls while whirring buzz saws keep you back, ready to decapitate in a heartbeat. Disturbing but yet so peaceful, Limbo triumphantly succeeds at creating a sick beauty.

The game also does a great job of placing you in between objects and elements that make up the world, layered objects stand above and below the two-dimensional plane making the player feel truly trapped, and escape that much more necessary.

Subtle grainy flickers fill the screen and monochrome styled visuals lend to the game’s dark atmospheric mood, an air of eeriness sets the stage and ambient noise in place of a soundtrack help craft Limbo into what it is – a truly breathtaking assault on the senses, an assault you’d be hard pressed to find elsewhere.

Worth the Experience?

Limbo’s one of those rare gems that comes along to shake up gaming once in a while, a glimpse into a truly untouched world and a reminder that video games are just as much as an art form as any other medium. It tells a tale without words, and that speaks volumes in itself.

Ever found yourself on the fence about buying a new game? This should get you off it! Watch the opening minutes of Limbo after the break.

GameSpot have been avoiding the summer drought in style by rolling out some quality clips of id Software’s latest offering, Rage. The video above shows a quick tour of the game’s first hub town, Wellspring. If you’ve already clicked the play button your jaw should be hitting the floor right about *checks watch*… now – gorgeous huh?

Notice how dust sweeps through the town, people go about their business and shop signs swing to the wind… Okay I’ve watched this video way too many times but I for one haven’t felt this convinced about a living, breathing town since Half-Life 2, and a game looking this polished so early on can only be a good sign, right?

Stay tuned for more info on Rage, alternatively you can head over to GameSpot for the rest of the videos or visit the gallery (below).

Capcom, trying to keep our minds off the recently delayed Dead Rising 2, think they can just buy us out with an awesome box art reveal and a fancy limited edition… sold and forgiven at the same time! Where do I pay?

I’ve already aired my views on the game’s box art and believe it will stand out amongst other titles on store shelves come September 28. As expected, us folks in Europe are subject to a delay and forced to hold out a little while longer (October 1), though I trust many will believe it’s worth the wait.

Announced yesterday “The Outbreak Pack” (a European exclusive) includes a 12” zombie figurine with accessories, a download token for a bonus theme pack, and bonus content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Count me in for two of those!

A delay might not be so bad after all: who’d a thunk it?

So here’s one surprise we didn’t see coming. As you know by now, Gabe Newell’s been pretty outspoken when speaking about the PlayStation 3, so it shocked us when he took the stage at Sony’s E3 briefing to revise his views on the company’s home console:

I’ve been pretty outspoken in my comments about the current generation of game consoles. So I’d really like to thank everyone at Sony for their gracious hospitality and for not repeatedly punching me in the face.

Praising the open nature of Sony’s console, he then went on to announce Portal 2 with Steamworks support for the PlayStation 3, stating it would be the best version on ANY console – take THAT Microsoft! Portal 2′s official trailer followed the announcement, check out the trailer here.