Last week the PS3 received the native Netflix app, meaning there was no longer need for the disc in order to stream Netflix movies. Now the Wii is getting the same treatment, with a native Wii app so that you no longer need a disc inside the Wii. The app is available now in the Wii Shop channel. However, unlike the PS3, the Wii cannot stream HD content. As for Xbox 360 owners, they’ll receive an update next month.

Obsedian Entertainment’s Fallout New Vegas is sure to get plenty of DLC, however, we’re learned that the first DLC will be exclusive to the Xbox 360. Publisher Bethesda is said to release more details about the DLC in the upcoming weeks. However, there was no mention whether the DLC would eventually find its way to the PS3 and PC, which we’re hoping it will.

Blizzard has filed lawsuits against several StarCraft 2 hackers, alleging that they’re breaching Blizzards IP and trademark rights. They sued three players who are responsible for the majority of the hacks made for StarCraft 2, and the majority of the recently 5,000 banned players used those hacks. A few years ago, Blizzard sued a WoW hack maker for the same reason, and won $6 million in compensation.

When EA announced and revealed the new Medal of Honor, we first thought it was a rip off of Modern Warfare, and in its entire, it mimics a lot what Modern Warfare does, and in some cases, flatly rips it off, like playing multiple characters, kill streaks and what not. However, where Medal of Honor distinguishes itself, is the fact that it takes place in a real world, and depicts a real conflict, which is the ongoing US invasion of Afghanistan. You won’t be fighting fictional bad guys in some distance place or going on a secret mission to the lair of a super villain. Here, a lot of stuff is fact based, and the game wants to appear as realistic as possible.

However, the gameplay never manages to strike a decent line between realism and arcade. For one, there’s a lot of arcade-like features that don’t seem to belong there, like a notification every time you get a head shot and your XP count, and kill streak and so on. It doesn’t fit in a game that wants to be taken seriously, because the story, while mimicking the narrative mode of Modern Warfare, is okay, and the dialogue and cut scenes are pretty good and realistic as well. There are plenty missions and there’s quite a lot of variety as well, from low key sneaking missions, to run and gun ones, to vehicle scenes. However, the game is extremely linear, where you have almost no freedom to venture beyond the planned route, no way of flanking the enemy. If you’re used to the freedom of, say, Crysis, you’ll be disappointed in MoH. Here, you’re basically carried to where you need to go. There are AI issues as well, and on top of that, the campaign runs about 5 hours on the medium setting. We expected a bit more.

The multiplayer side is a bit better and seems quite developed and polished, which is expected, considering it’s made by DICE. However, if you expect anything like Battlefield, you’ll be surely disappointed. It doesn’t have any of the Battlefield Bad Company 2 feel. The multiplayer has 24 players, and the maps aren’t that big, which adds to the intensity. However, some of the maps are quite boring, and once again, the game tries to emulate Modern Warfare with kill streaks and what not. We’d wish it was more Battlefield and less Modern Warfare.

The Good:
Realistic campaign
Great story, dialogue and cut scenes.

The Bad:
Feels like a Modern Warfare rip off
Campaign is way too linear
AI issues
Multiplayer doesn’t feel special nor different from other games

Overall score: 5/10

Dead Rising was one of the first hits on the Xbox 360, released in the summer of 2006 and offered a new take on the zombie slaying genre, with hundreds of zombies to kill in a mall, in an endless variety. The long awaited sequel will serve Dead Rising fans well, so well that if you didn’t like the original, you most likely won’t like the sequel either.

In Dead Rising 2, you play as motocross star Chuck Greene, whose wife was killed by zombies, and worse, whose daughter is infected with the zombie virus, which drives the main plot of the game. In order for your daughter to live (i.e. not turn into a zombie), you have to get her medication, Zombrex, which means that all missions in the game are time based — you only have a certain amount of time to get her the medication. You also have to rescue other survivors in the large casino/hotel complex that you’re stuck in. And to get you moving, you only got three days before the military comes and razes the place to the ground.

The gameplay is even more over the top than its predecessor. You can customize your wardrobe to crazy heights, and can pretty much dress like anything from a bride to a biker. But the really cool stuff is all the weapons, or rather, the weapons you can make. For instance, you can spike nails to a baseball bat, or strap a pair of chainsaws to a pole. During your play, you’ll level up, gain access to more weapons, get more inventory slots and get combo cards, which allow you to combine different weapons and create new ones — that’s where the most interesting part of the gameplay is. Aside from slaying zombies, of course. This time, Dead Rising 2 also has multiplayer, where there’s online co-op and competitive multiplayer as well. While it won’t offer you hours of fun, it’s great to have, and especially the co-op is welcomed.

Technically, the game manages to look marginally better than Dead Rising 1, which was out over 4 years ago, which is a bit disappointing. To some extent, that understandable, considering the sheer amount of zombies that are on-screen at the same time, not to mention the fast paced action. Which, by the way, can make the game stutter at times.

The Good:
Fun and addictive gameplay
Lots of content
Lots of weapons and customization

The Bad:
Visuals haven’t improved much
Some screen tearing and frame rate issues

Overall score: 8/10

Blizzard has released patch 1.1.2 of StarCraft 2, which brings more bug fixes and balancing issues, most noticeably, it deals wit Zerg balancing issues, once again. This time, Terrans won’t be as effective in rushing due to new upgrades and barracks requirements. On the good side, a few Zerg buildings have had their health increased. Check out the fill list of changes after the break. READ ON »

According to a new report, the Australia based developer Krome Studio is in the process of shutting down operations. Krome is one of Australia’s largest developers, with over 250 employees. Their biggest hits include Star Wars: The Force Unleashed and Viva Piñata: Party Animals.

Gearbox, the new owners of the Duke Nukem franchise, have allowed developer Frederik “Fresch” Schreiber to remake the game using the Unreal Engine 3, as long as the game remains non-commercial. He previously tried to remake SIN, but the project was shut down by the current owners of the IP. The above video shows a test of Duke Nukem 3D remake, and it looks quite good.

Bungie has announced that Halo Reach will be getting its first DLC on November 30. It’s a map pack called “Noble”, which will include three maps, “Tempest”, “Anchor 9″, and “Breakpoint”. The bad news: those are the only maps — just 3 of them — and they’ll retail for $10. That’s not a lot of value, if you ask us. But we’re not your average Halo fanatics either. The map pack will be out on November 30.

Netflix has updated their PS3 application which now won’t require a disc, and will be able to play 1080p streams, in addition to 5.1 audio and full integration with PS3, meaning you can use the PS3 controller to navigate instead of needing a remote.