Ever heard of the Twisted Metal series?  Ever played or experienced it?  Well, here’s a short summary of all the games: cars strapped with weapons (machine guns, missiles, oil slicks, mines and more) designed to cause as much destruction to other players as possible, in order to be #1 in the competition.  Now, combine that mayhem with a top-down driving style like the original Grand Theft Auto and you have essentially what Scrap Metal is like.  Don’t take that the wrong way, but it’s a good thing.

The game starts you off on choosing between two different control schemes, one which lets you point your left stick in the direction you want to go and the other allows you to steer left or right (relative to the car) and accelerate with the right trigger.  In both cases, the left trigger brakes and in both cases you can wreak large amounts of havoc around the track.

In case you haven’t noticed yet, the theme of the game is cars mixed with carnage, chaos, crashing, wreckage and lots of booms!

The game gives you a junkyard with 4 car slots that you can fill up with various cars.  You acquire cars simply by destroying them, after which the scrap metal is delivered to your junkyard.  You can fix them up, customize them, upgrade them, and of course, race them!

With each different track there are a set of challenges: races, survival or number of destroyed vehicles that you have to complete. Along the way, you might have to race or wreak havoc on mini-bosses, but the final challenge on every track is a large, but not too difficult boss.  Once you learn their behaviour, it’s not hard to destroy them and automatically take 1^st place.

With that said, the vehicle and weapon loadouts that I encountered were numerous.  Every car you wreck will permanently be in your junkyard if you want to resurrect it. Be warned, if you’ve spent money on upgrading a car and you replace it, you won’t get that money back, nor will that car come back to you with all the upgrades again. So choose wisely!

So, if you like carnage with cars, or trucks for that matter, I’d suggest taking a peek at the trial, and strongly consider a purchase. The initial levels are relatively slow, but the game really picks up once you hit the 3^rd and 4^th tracks and wreck some nice cars and trucks. And yes, they do cause more and more pandemonium the further you go.

After over 9 hours of racing, and nearly 200 online races, I’ve had quite the fair share of experiences in the BLUR Multiplayer Beta.  From barging racers out of the way to shielding shocks to blocking shunts, this game is an adrenaline rush at every turn.  While it can be infuriating when you go from first to last in a set of 2 short corners, it won’t be unexplained.  You’ll definitely get the “punching bag” (the award for being hit with the most power-ups) at the end of the race when that happens.

BLUR is a game that combines the realistic cars of Bizarre Creation’s previous racing brand Project Gotham Racing with the fun power-ups that seem to stem from the likes of Mario Kart, with the extremely bright colours that seemed to be taken straight from Bizarre’s other famous brand, Geometry Wars.

The multiplayer experience pretty much goes like this: you enter the race lobby, if you’re early enough you’ll get to vote on a track and class combination, and the winning combination is what you’ll race next. Then you’ve got about 40 seconds which are counted down to pick your car (of the ones you have unlocked) and your mod-setup (you’ll get to customize it once you crack Rank 3 in the beta.  Once you get into the race, racers are arranged in a fairly random order to start. Once all the power-ups are activated, then all hell breaks loose!

Once the race is over, you’ll get to see who the top 3 placers were, and then the list of how everyone placed and what their times were. Lastly, you’ll be shown 3 facts about the race like who was most/least accurate, who had the fastest lap, who had the top speed or a couple other ones.  Once you return back to the race lobby, the process repeats and you spend endless hours causing mayhem online.

Seemingly, the people of Barcelona, Tokyo, LA or the “Amboy” desert never seem to mind the fact that there are cars ripping through their streets and crashing into their buildings.

Also, the higher your rank is in the beta, the more cars you unlock. Pay careful attention to matching up certain cars with certain tracks: you’ll want off-road “trucks” for the off-road track, and you’ll want the more agile cars for the tight and twisty tracks.  You’ll also unlock some more game modes the further you go on, so there is incentive to hit the level cap of 10.

On a more personal note, there are several things lingering around in the Beta that suggest to me that the level cap will be raised to 15 or 20 before the Beta is over. Mostly the presence of two cars which are acquired at level 14 and 15, the Corvette ZR1 and the Koenigsegg CCXR.

Overall, the Blur Multiplayer Beta is a blast to play as I’m sure many folks will soon find out.  And last but not least? Why not give you a shot at getting into the beta? Below are a list of 20 codes, which you should grab, and take to our Redeem Your Blur Beta Code page where there are instructions on what to do with them.

M2QX-ACR6-33RL-E2NQ
LK7A-DVDJ-R7ZX-7NP2
3CYY-DZDV-E6ER-7ZLQ
MJZH-4Y7G-3EDU-JDE4
NWGU-2JXU-MUD3-VC2E
JL3A-RUYT-U7YL-NTD3
TUY3-YFZC-7N3T-P74P
99UU-G4D2-ETGU-RKRL
E7Z2-HPC3-CP7K-EF97
ZAMJ-HU4P-WJZH-TXEA
FEW3-HPMY-6G7Q-C7TP
MT9G-GW6U-CCWM-WHN7
LHEA-NCAR-9G2N-MJKQ
AL9E-PCZN-J7HU-JZQF
DVNW-NDHA-JEH7-LH2K
DA36-QFN6-7G32-J2X6
VNVM-4YJP-P6Q9-2F9G
G3F9-J27P-E9JX-6JDA
LJZF-2LXL-G4RT-AEYU
J2ER-4JE7-MPHW-H36A

In mid-January, Turn 10 Studios released it’s 2nd of 3 DLC packs, the 2nd car pack for Forza 3.  The car pack featured 10 different cars, of which some were more desirable than others, but all were more fast toys for the game.  Since we here at 360Sync enjoy the game (and one of us, namely myself, loves the game), we’re up for sharing some of the DLC love with everyone.

So here’s the deal: we all know I’m a big racing fan, and I love my Forza 3.  Race me in a best of 3 series and if you win, you get the car pack. We only have one, so the first person to win 2 of 3 races, takes it.

So how do you enter? Send me an email to DZgrablic [at] 360Sync [dot] com, with your preferred track and layout, as well as your preferred class of car to race with. I’ll send you an email back with the number you are, which will indicate how many people will have their shot at the prize before you, and when your turn is next, I will arrange a time with you. Please try to limit the time per race to a maximum of about 7-8 minutes. Car choice and tune are really up to you, as long as it is within the racing class you chose previously.  (Side note: Drag Races will not be accepted as acceptable races.)

The only real rule to the competition is to race clean and fair. I reserve the right to re-run a race if I feel there was unsportsmanlike behaviour involved.  If you make a mistake, please try to right it within the next few corners of that race, as similarly, if I make a mistake, I will try to right it within next few corners of that race.  Of course, we will always be able to discuss it within the game, and we will act on it then.

Here’s a list of the 10 cars that are included in the AutoWeek DLC pack so you know what you’re competing for:

1. 2009 Audi RS 6
2. 2010 Ford Shelby GT500
3. 2009 Lotus 2-Eleven
4. 2010 Aston Martin One-77
5. 2010 Porsche Boxster S
6. 2009 Audi R8 LMS Show Car
7. 2010 Pagani Zonda R
8. 2010 Saleen S5S Raptor
9. 2010 BMW Motorsport M6 Coupe
10. 2010 Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport

And that’s that! If you’re interested, please email me, and we’ll get things underway!

About 2 weeks ago, Introversion Software announced the full release details for Darwinia+.  Having released today for a cool 1,200 MSPoints (or $15.00), the team can finally rejoice about their first game on the Xbox Live Arcade!

Introversion’s games on the PC have been quite well received so we don’t see why this game on the XBLA would be any different!

The world of the peaceful Darwinians has been decimated by an evil virus and without your help they have no hope of survival. Play the full campaign or take control of a Multiwinian army and challenge your friends to some digital carnage in this IGF award winning action-strategy classic from Introversion Software. It’s a stick man slaughter where only the flattest survive.

We’d suggest you check out the trial of the game, and if you like it, give it a purchase!

Add the Darwinia+ Trial Game to your queue

Add the Darwinia+ Full Game to your queue

The time is finally here to pick the winners for this massive giveaway! This has been our biggest giveaway so far, whether by number of prizes, total value of prizes and even entries!  As it stood after 2 updates, we added an extra 25 items to the pot, for a total of 39 prizes! (Yea, the number took me by surprise too!)

One minor note, that most probably didn’t see, is that due to the sheer volume of prizes, I’ve had to pre-award prizes to folks rather than doing it on a first come, first served basis.

• 1 Canadian ODST Launch t-shirt – @vLO_03
• 1 code for Fable 2 Pub Games – @c1pherOne
• 1 Forza Motorsport 2 Faceplate – @iamdabe
• 6 codes for the Gears of War 2 Golden Hammerburst
  1. @JabChrisJab
  2. @didapr
  3. iZER
  4. @chickenhounk911
  5. zeldafan75
  6. @gregdoom
• 2 codes for the Halo Wars Custom Flame Decaled Warthogs
  1. @madbird32
  2. @Tissu69
• 1 code to use Sgt. Johnson in Firefight in Halo 3 ODST – @foxsnipe
• 2 codes to use Sgt. Johnson in Firefight in Halo 3 ODST from CouchCampus.com!
  1. @kancer
  2. @marillionflower
• 2 copies of World of Warcraft: Rise of Arthas (book)
  1. @incphi
  2. @nvmisfit
• 1 signed copy of Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne (book) – @wargamer
• 1 Rogue Warrior Poster – @andyheartsfc
• 1 Wet poster – @tm_gaming
• 1 Darksiders World Map cloth – @Trebor1892
• 1 Xbox360 Chatpad – @deadlycyclone
• 1 code for Trials HD – @jazzmalang
• 1 code for ‘Splosion Man – @dwb6
• 1 code for Lode Runner – @wriggy
• 10 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 shirts (all XL)
  1. @HYpkrOniK
  2. @SickPigeon
  3. Talus
  4. @XenoLair
  5. @DEEmented
  6. LeaveMeAlone9375
  7. @DDAK88
  8. Brysonic
  9. @daddytyme
  10. @Diesel69er
• 4 360Sync Exclusive E309 shirts (sizes vary)
  1. @connor2k
  2. @muddy9494
  3. Karissa
  4. @Davicams
• 360Sync Exclusive GDC09 shirt – @spooerman

For the users that won through the comments on the site, please email contests[at]360sync[dott]com from the email you commented on the site with (so we can verify you).  If you won via Twitter, send an @ reply to @360Sync and we’ll send you a direct message with a unique code. (Remember, in order for us to be able to send you a DM, you need to be following @360Sync.) Once you get the code, email it to us to the above email address, and you’ll be good to go!

A huge thanks to everyone that participated, and a massive thanks to Xbox Canada and CouchCampus for donating prizes!

Update:  Names that are crossed off indicate that these prizes have been claimed already.

Update 1: Alan Wake video added to the bottom of the post.

Tonight at Microsoft’s 2010 (yes, we’re already in 2010) CES Keynote they announced quite a few things, and we’ve got them summarized for you below. Of course these are things we didn’t really know much about previously; games like Mass Effect 2 coming later this month, or Splinter Cell: Conviction coming in February don’t count for this.

• Natal – Coming this holiday season (as if we didn’t know this already?)
• Fable III – Coming later this year, presumably during the holiday season
• Crackdown 2 – Coming later this year
• Alan Wake – Coming this year, will feature episodic content upon release on the Xbox Live Marketplace
• Game Room – Virtual arcade room with virtual arcade machines
  • Starting out with 30 games at launch this Spring
  • Games releasing every week for a total of a 1000 games in 3 years
  • Pricing: 240 to 400 MSP for game downloads, or 40 MSP for a single play
  • Cross-platform: Games purchased can be either played on your Xbox 360 through Xbox Live or on your PC through Games for Windows Live
  • Your Games Room is your own personal arcade, complete with Arcade cabinets
  • You can visit your friends’ games rooms and try their games for free before you buy your own

During the live stream there were some blackouts, one of which no one seemed to understand, and the other which was somewhat understood.  The first one was for the Halo: Reach trailer, which was shown about a month ago at the Spike VGAs, while the other was for the Game Room trailer.  Luckily, Microsoft had the trailer posted after the show, and we’ve got it embedded below for your viewing pleasures.

And further below, we’ve got two more of the other videos that were shown off at the Microsoft CES Keynote: one of project Natal and another, not shown though, of an interview with Mike Lake about Alan Wake.

And with this, our game of the year picks come to a close. These 4 categories are brand new this year, and we’ll explain each one:

• Missed Game – Any game that came out in 2009, that we missed, but really wanted to play
• Looking Forward to in 2010 – A game, or games, that are coming out in 2010 that we’re really looking forward to
• Best Game on Other Platform – Some game on another platform that we thought was really good
• Best Achievement Set – The game in 2009 that had the best (whether most comical, difficult or otherwise) set of achievements tied to it

With those explained, it’s time to reveal our picks!

Missed Game

• Devin – Left 4 Dead 2
• Rob – DJ Hero
• Dario – Red Faction: Guerilla
• Brett – Ghostbusters

Looking Forward to in 2010

• Devin – Bioshock 2
• Rob – Splinter Cell: Conviction, Crackdown 2, Halo: Reach
• Dario – Halo: Reach, Crackdown 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction
• Brett – Dante’s Inferno

Best Game on Other Platform

• Devin – Super Mario Bros & Uncharted 2
• Rob – Uncharted 2
• Dario – Uncharted 2
• Brett – Uncharted 2

Best Achievement Set

• Devin – Borderlands
• Rob – Left 4 Dead 2
• Dario -Left 4 Dead 2
• Brett – Borderlands

Both Matt and Devin also had some notable mentions, Matt choosing Ghostbusters as his biggest surprise and Devin choosing Batman Arkham Asylum as his best single player experience. And that’s a wrap! We’ll see you again at the end of 2010 for those Games of the Year, and what a year it’s shaping up to be.

Update 3: This contest is now closed. Any entries received through the comments or Twitter will no longer be accepted. We’re going to choose the winners and announce them soon.

Update 2: Added another 16 prizes to the list, but had to remove Shadow Complex due to it being an invalid code. Also updated how the prizes are going to be awarded, due to the sheer volume of them that we have.

Update 1: Added 10 new prizes to the list!

Well, we’ve been teasing at this for the past couple days both on the site via posts and via @360Sync on Twitter.  Now it’s finally time for all that to come to fruition.  I know we’ve picked up a lot of new readers and fans this year, so a few of you may not know about this “tradition.” Last year, we started it, the Clean Us Out Giveaway in order to start the year off right and to clear out what we had left over from 2008.  That being said, we’re back this year, with some pretty cool stuff to give away.

Here’s the list of what we’re giving away:

• 1 Canadian ODST Launch t-shirt
• 1 code for Fable 2 Pub Games
• 1 Forza Motorsport 2 Faceplate (Thanks to Xbox Canada!)
• 6 codes for the Gears of War 2 Golden Hammerburst (yes, they’re old)
• 2 codes for the Halo Wars Custom Flame Decaled Warthogs
• 1 code to use Sgt. Johnson in Firefight in Halo 3 ODST
• Added: 2 codes to use Sgt. Johnson in Firefight in Halo 3 ODST (Thanks to CouchCampus.com for donating these!)
• 2 copies of World of Warcraft: Rise of Arthas (book)
• 1 signed copy of Dragon Age: The Stolen Throne (book)
• Added: 1 Rogue Warrior Poster
• Added: 1 Wet poster
• Added: 1 Darksiders World Map cloth
• Added: 1 Xbox360 Chatpad
• Added: 1 code for Shadow Complex (Verified the code, but it turned out to be invalid. Sorry folks. -Dj)
• Added: 1 code for Trials HD
• Added: 1 code for ‘Splosion Man
• Added: 1 code for Lode Runner
• Added: 10 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 shirts (all XL)
• Added: 4 360Sync Exclusive E309 shirts (sizes vary)
• Added: 360Sync Exclusive GDC09 shirt

That’s the prize list for now, but we’ll update it as soon as we have more, and I’m sure we have more.

Entry methods:

1. A comment on this post will secure you one entry.
2. A retweet (RT) of the tweet for this post will also get you one more entry. (Either using the official RT function of Twitter or one of the Twitter Clients RT functions will work, just be sure to use the #360SyncCUO10 tag in your tweet.)

Once the winners are chosen at random, prize claims will counted on a first come, first served basis will be awarded based on random numbers put out by Random.org.  Winners will have 2 weeks to claim their prizes, upon which, unclaimed prizes will be either re-awarded or given away via some other method, depending on how many are left over.

If you’re still wondering, this was our big surprise for you. We had a blast in 2009, and we’re going to make 2010 and even bigger year!

What was the final part last year is no longer this year; we’ve added a new set of 4 categories which you’ll see later today.  This post we’re taking a look at our picks for some of the most interesting category, our best game overall of 2009. With that said, here we go! (And yes, we refuse to call Modern Warfare 2 by its full official title.)

Best Sports Game

• Devin – NHL 10
• Rob – NCAA Football 10
• Dario – NHL 10
• Brett – FIFA 10

Best Developer

• Devin – SKA Studios
• Rob – Valve Corporation
• Dario – Turn 10 Studios
• Brett -Valve Corporation
• Matthew – Rock Steady Studios

Biggest Disappointment

• Devin – Tony Hawk RIDE
• Rob – Tony Hawk RIDE
• Dario – The Saboteur
• Brett – Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
• Matthew – Tony Hawk RIDE

Best Overall

• Devin – Modern Warfare 2
• Rob – Modern Warfare 2
• Dario – Forza Motorsport 3
• Brett -Left 4 Dead 2
• Matthew – Batman: Arkham Asylum

Soon, you’ll get to see some of the most fun categories of last year’s games.

We did part 1 yesterday, and now it’s time for part 2. Well take a look at Best Multiplayer Game, Best RTS, Best Racing Game, and Best Music/Rhythm Game.

Best Multiplayer Game

• Devin (DaKing240) – Modern Warfare 2
• Rob (Esko) – Left 4 Dead 2
• Dario (DjDATZ) – Left 4 Dead 2
• Brett (Donski3) – Left 4 Dead 2
• Matthew (RocketJones) – Left 4 Dead 2

Best RTS (Real-Time Strategy)

• Devin (DaKing240) – Halo Wars
• Rob (Esko) – Halo Wars
• Dario (DjDATZ) – Halo Wars
• Brett (Donski3) – Halo Wars
• Matthew (RocketJones) – Halo Wars

Best Racing Game

• Devin (DaKing240) – Forza Motorsport 3
• Rob (Esko) – Forza Motorsport 3
• Dario (DjDATZ) – Forza Motorsport 3
• Brett (Donski3) – Forza Motorsport 3
• Matthew (RocketJones) – Forza Motorsport 3

Best Music/Rhythm Game

• Devin (DaKing240) – The Beatles: Rock Band
• Rob (Esko) – The Beatles: Rock Band
• Dario (DjDATZ) – DJ Hero
• Brett (Donski3) – The Beatles: Rock Band
• Matthew (RocketJones) – The Beatles: Rock Band

Keep your eyes peeled for part 3 tomorrow!