In yet another vexing move by the ill-fated Blockbuster execs, the company announced today that it would be going retail and start selling video game consoles, games and accessories in all of its corporate locations. Some have said that this is a good move for the company and could jump start sales. I think it’s crazy.

Who are you exactly?

(Credit: Blockbuster)

What is Blockbuster, exactly? Is it a rental chain? Is it a retailer? Is it both? It certainly looks like the company wants to be all things to all people, but not only is that plan foolhardy, it flies in the face of reason.

Whatever happened to the concept of a corporate identity? You know, that old idea you were probably taught in business school where your professor told you about the need for companies to find and solidify core competencies and stick to those. And once you found that, it was your job to be very special in that space and maintain a lead in the industry through price leadership or differentiation. Whatever happened to that idea? Did Blockbuster execs skip that class?

…

source The Digital Home

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The United States Postal Service delivered a mysterious package to my door this day, return address Forest Hill, London (with postage on the package stating it was sent from New York City). Concerned for my safety (everyone’s a terrorist these days), I carefully opened the package to find the following:

A one-kilo brick of Nazi gold (heavy, but a replica), two stickers, and a letter in German.

Putting two and two together, this is obviously some sort of tie in with Replay Studios’ stealth action title, Velvet Assassin. Last month, the devs accidentally slipped some info to me about a real life tie-in where gamers could find bars of Nazi gold outside of the game. Perhaps this is only the beginning?

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The United Says Postal Service delivered a mysterious package to my door this day, return address Forest Hill, London (with postage on the package stating it was sent from New York City). Concerned for my safety (everyone’s a terrorist these days), I carefully opened the package to find the following:

A one-kilo brick of Nazi gold (heavy, but a replica), two stickers, and a letter in German.

Putting two and two together, this is obviously some sort of tie in with Replay Studios’ stealth action title, Velvet Assassin. Last month, the devs accidentally slipped some info to me about a real life tie-in where gamers could find bars of Nazi gold outside of the game. Perhaps this is only the beginning?

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I love me some Pew! Pew! Pew! games. I’m maybe not as hardcore as a certain Bee Dog man, but I still like them. Assault Heroes 2 brings back the formula from the original title and adds a few new elements for the sequel.

You control a tank that has four different upgradeable weapons as you make your way through hordes and hordes of enemy bullets and lasers. The tanks can shoot bullets, fire and explosives, and you also have grenades and nukes as part of your arsenal of pain. You’ll also be able to perform team attacks with your co-op buddy. Just equip the same weapon as your buddy and press a button, and both your attacks will be chained together for stronger attack strength.

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Remember Pokemon Snap for the Nintendo 64? Sea Life Safari is exactly that but underwater. You’ve been tasked to take photos for your Professor of over 60 undersea creatures. You dive underwater inside your vessel that takes you on your underwater journey. All you have to worry about is looking around and take pictures of life under the sea.

The game is targeted for the six and up crowd and there’s a step-by-step tutorial that can be turned on to help the youngins out. I’m sure many older players (cough *CHAD CONCELMO* cough) will be able to get into this as well.

The only controls you have to worry about are turning your character around and snapping pics. You will also be able to throw various items at the fish to gain their attention. The items will do various things and cause the fish to react in different ways, such as the blowfish blowing itself up like a balloon.

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Oh boy, another game that’s based on a movie. Wait! What’s this?! The Bourne Conspiracy looks good and *GASP*, fun?!

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The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon will mark the 10th anniversary for the Spyro the Dragon series. Hard to believe it has been ten years already. I still remember when the game first came out for the PlayStation 1. Everyone thought it was just another Mario wannabe, but as it turned out, it was a fantastic game.

Here we are now, after ten years and over a dozen games in the series. You’d think by now it would get really stale, but as it turns out, this might become one of the best Spyro in the series to date.

Hit the jump for my full impressions.

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Prototype, the game where you play a poor soul that has no idea who he is but has the power of a god. Run anywhere you want, gain super powers, and destroy anything you want in this sandbox game. The hype on this game is getting more massive and bigger, but not much had been shown off.

Well, a good section of the game was finally shown off to me and I’m here to tell you all about it. So how’s New York City doing with a man that has the powers of a God and a city that has been exposed to some kind of virus? Hit the jump to find out.

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For the past few weeks, I’ve been playing around with a preview build of Team Ninja’s upcoming splatter-fest, Ninja Gaiden II. Published by Microsoft exclusively for the Xbox 360, Ninja Gaiden II is a tale of family, revenge, and sword-wielding canines wearing bondage gear. In short, the game seems to be shaping up to deliver more of the savage action Team Ninja delivered on the original Xbox back in 2004.

While not a complete build of the game, I made my way through six stages of bloodletting and extreme brutality. From the futuristic high-rises of Sky City Tokyo to the werewolf-infested streets of Venice, I’ve spent quite a few hours with this angrier, more violent Ryu Hayabusa.

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A press release just landed in my inbox from Ubisoft, announcing that a new Prince of Persia title is scheduled to be released this holiday for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The game is being developed by Ubisoft’s Montreal studios, the same team who created the Prince of Persia trilogy and Assassin’s Creed.

Ubisoft doesn’t give many specifics, not even giving the game an official name. Might I advocate “Prince of Persia Prodigy”? They do tease that the game is the opening of a new chapter in the Prince of Persia universe, saying that the game features a ‘new breed of gameplay” and will introduce a “brand-new illustrative art style.”

A absolutely separate Prince of Persia title is also being designed for the Nintendo DS, and will feature an entirely new storyline and new characters. With Ubisoft’s media day right around the corner, we should be hearing more on these titles in the coming month.

Via Destructoid

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