VIDEO GAMES: Looking forward to my birthday!

For many reasons. Not only do I share a birthday with Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling, but this year I'll be celebrating by getting my hands on Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance! Today it was revealed that Kingdom Hearts will be hitting the 3DS on July 31st this year alongside an announcement that Theatrhythm Final Fantasy will hit the system on July 3rd. Interested in either of those?

VIDEO GAMES: An exercise in patience.

There are a ton of great games set to come out this year. Mass Effect 3, Diablo III and much more. But far and away my most anticipated game of 2012 is Bioshock Infinite. The original Bioshock will most likely forever remain in my top 5 favorite video games of all time. The beautiful yet dark setting, involving story and unique gameplay made for an all around incredible experience. Bioshock Infinite promises to bring all that we loved about Bioshock, and make it soar. Today an official release date was set for Infinite and unfortunately we have a bit of a wait on our hands. Bioshock Infinite will hit stores in the US on October 16, 2012 and it will be released internationally two days later on October 18th! I cannot wait to explore the city of Columbia and get lost in another gorgeous world from the Bioshock series.

VIDEO GAMES: Ready for Pokemon on the 3DS?

Me too!...but we might have to wait. The third entry in Generation V of Pokemon has just been announced. The game will be the follow up to Pokemon Black and White and it will be hitting the DS in June 2012! From the couple of brief announcements that I've read so far it actually sounds like it will be Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2 as opposed to Pokemon Gray which, let's be honest, sounds like the least fun game in history. Unfortunately there's no confirmation right now as to whether or not it's only for the DS or if we'll get a 3DS version as well. We all knew that this was likely to be the announcement regarding Pokemon today but it's still nice to know it wasn't another crappy side-game that we don't care about. I'll be posting more news as it's released!

VIDEO GAMES: Mario Tennis Returns!

Last year Nintendo announced a slew of games that would be coming to the 3DS this year and my most anticipated of the bunch was Mario Tennis Open. Making its debut on the Gamecube, Mario Tennis has always been one of my absolute favorite entries in the Mario canon and the 3DS will provide an excellent platform for the game. The game will support local and online multiplayer up to four players and the touch screen can be used to perform your hits (different swipes on different locations make different shots). It sounds like this will be another excellent showcase of what the 3DS can do! Mario Tennis Open comes out on May 20th!!!

VIDEO GAMES: Prepare for the Vita

Well the Playstation Vita hits shelves in 11 short days on February 22nd. At this point I don't know if we'll even see the massive marketing push from Sony that the system deserves. However, today Sony released a 12 minute video dedicated to highlighting the features of the Vita that people can look forward to. It's a great look at the system and it does a good job of letting people know why it will be worth their money. As I stated earlier this week, I got a chance to play the Vita at Gamestop and it really is incredible. Are any of you buying the Vita on day one?

VIDEO GAMES: 2 big release dates hit!

Well I didn't think either of these titles would be coming out until much later this year but release dates have been set for Alan Wake's American Nightmare and I Am Alive!

Alan Wake's American Nightmare comes to Xbox Live on February 22nd.
I Am Alive will be coming to consoles on March 7.

Well both of these games had big reveal trailers at the VGA's last month but I honestly didn't think we'd hear much more about either of them for some time. The fact that they both hit within the next couple of months is very encouraging. I personally didn't play the first Alan Wake so I probably won't check out American Nightmare but I am getting pretty excited for I Am Alive. Will you be playing either of these 2 titles??

For the full story head over to G4TV HERE!

VIDEO GAMES: I heart this news.

Damn that was bad. Square Enix announced today that Kingdom Hearts 3D will hit stores in March 2012. We still don't know too much about the game but I'm pretty excited for it. Not just because it's yet another game to strengthen the library of the 3DS, but because I'm a sucker for anything Disney. Although I never owned a PS2 I spent plenty of time at friends' houses mooching of their systems to play the first Kingdom Hearts games and I've always loved the story and world that they take place in.

VIDEO GAMES: The Vita has a release date!

And it is February 22, 2012 in North America. A lot of people were hoping that the Vita would come out before the end of this year but it's good that we don't have to wait very long. Personally I won't be getting a Vita since I just purchased a 3DS which I'm loving and has some good games coming out soon, but for those of you who are a bit more hardcore with your mobile gaming the Vita is shaping up to be one promising system.

VIDEO GAMES: Release date and price points for The Old Republic

Whelp, there's one more game we'll have to buy before the year is up! The official North American release date for Star Wars: The Old Republic is December 20, 2011. It's safe to say that this is perhaps the most highly anticipated game in a long time. Some are saying it will be the replacement for WoW but I don't think anything will be certain until we've all had a chance to sit down and play. I love the concept and I'm pretty happy with what we've seen from the game so far, but you never know until you actually play it. Purchasing the game will get you 30 days free but from there on out it will cost $14.99 a month which I think we all saw coming. You may also pay $41.97 for a 3 month package or $77.94 for a six month package saving you a little change. Will you take part in the MMO in a galaxy far far away?