Linkin Park 2010 Wrap Up

2010 has been a great year for me and my band.  Here are some 2010 year-end stats for the LP record books:

We released “A Thousand Suns”, which debuted at #1 in 15 countries.

The album debuted with an amazing contest called “Linkin Park Featuring You” on MySpace where fans were given pieces of our first single before it was released.  They remixed the tracks, and we picked a winner named NoBrain–and included his work on our album.

We got a chance to play in a number of places we’ve never visited before, including the U.A.E. and Israel.

At home in the U.S., our first single, “The Catalyst” was the first #1 debut in the history of the Billboard Rock Songs chart.

“The Catalyst” and “Waiting For The End” both went to #1 on the Alternative radio chart, bringing our career tally to ten #1 songs thus far.

LP won an EMA for “Best Live Act,” and we’re in the running for the upcoming People’s Choice Awards, Japan Gold Disc Awards and German Echo Awards.

We released 8-Bit Rebellion for iPod, iPod Touch, and iPad, which debuted at #1 on the iTunes music app chart.

“A Thousand Suns” went to #1 on Nielsen Soundscan’s Best Selling Rock album of 2010

Chester made an appearance in Saw 3D, which also saw a #1 debut at the box office

We held our first LP Underground Summits, in London and Sydney, which quickly became one of the most memorable experiences for LPU members who attended.

As the year comes to a close, we’ll be crossing 20 million Facebook fans (more than Starbucks, Disney, or McDonalds–but still catching up to Michael Jackson at 26MM!)

Following the earthquake in Haiti, the band organized Download To Donate (downloadtodonate.org) where supporters and fans of over a dozen bands could come to download tracks for free, and donate funds to support relief efforts in Haiti.  This effort is ongoing.

“A Thousand Suns” was a risky album–one that veered off a more predictable path into territory that definitely got fans and non-fans talking.  It’s been fun to see how perceptions and opinions have swelled and changed.  As we move into the next year, we’ll be looking forward to the next leg of the world tour, another single, another video, and whatever else comes next.  A huge “thank you” is due to everyone who has helped make 2010 a successful year for the band.  We appreciate you.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas 2010!

Merry Christmas everyone! This year my family and I are going to celebrate Christmas with my grandparents. We always change each year.

I'm excited to see what I will get this year, my brother and I always get many Christmas presents. I've wished for PlayStation Move, and I really hope I will get it. Otherwise I will buy it myself. I always get money because I don't now what to wish for.

This year I've bought all my gifts online. It's good because I don't have to stand in line with all the other stressed Christmas shoppers. I even got them wrap for a small fee.

The weather this year is perfect with a lot of snow, just as I've always wanted! However, it doesn't happen that often that it comes snow for Christmas.

I hope everyone will have a great Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Wishes

Mattias (24Xero)

Video Game Awards 2010

What happened at today’s Spike TV Video Game Awards? New game announcements, first look trailers (some with actual gameplay), release dates, and Neil Patrick Harris. Catch up on the most important news right here if you missed anything.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Bethesda Game Studios reveals the sequel to Oblivion, the role-playing game known as Skyrim, via short teaser. The game is also given a release date — November 11, 2011. [HD trailer]

Mass Effect 3

BioWare’s next shooter space opera is formally announced as a battle for Earth and given a release window of Holiday 2011. [HD trailer]

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception

Naughty Dog brings back Nathan Drake for another adventure, this one set in the desert and beyond. The PlayStation 3 game also gets a release date of November 1, 2011. [HD trailer]

SSX: Deadly Descents

EA unveils its next SSX, in which video game snowboarders “explore the story of a team who seek to be the first to descend the faces of the most treacherous mountain ranges on the planet.” [HD trailer]

Resistance 3

We get our first peek at gameplay in Resistance 3 and a release date for the PS3 game, September 6, 2011. [HD trailer]

inSane

Director Guillermo del Toro teams up with THQ and Volition Inc for inSane, a horror game that’s quite far off. The teaser trailer definitely looks like a game that won’t hit until 2013. [HD trailer]

Prototype 2

Developer Radical Entertainment officially unveils the next Prototype game. It won’t go head to head with Infamous again, because Prototype 2 won’t be released until 2012. [HD trailer]

Kratos Comes To Mortal Kombat

The God of War joins the fray in a PlayStation 3 exclusive. Kratos wins! [HD trailer]

Batman Arkham City’s New Bad Guy

Dr. Hugo Strange knows Batman’s biggest secret in Arkham City, which delivers a cool new trailer. [HD trailer]

Forza Motorsport 4

The Xbox 360 racing series doesn’t have much to show, with a mostly-live action teaser trailer formally announcing its existence. [HD trailer]

Portal 2

Valve releases a new Portal 2 trailer. It looks like a Pixar movie. [HD trailer]

Thor: The Video Game

Hey, there’s a Thor video game! [HD trailer]

Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception uncovered!

No need to scan that headline twice and make sure you read it right – UNCHARTED 3 is real. This morning, Entertainment Weekly revealed the next chapter in the critically-acclaimed, top-selling UNCHARTED franchise – UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception continues to evolve all of the core principles we laid out for the UNCHARTED franchise, most important of which is creating an unmatched and extremely compelling interactive cinematic experience. In addition to having a compelling story and authentic characters that all of our fans can relate to as key facets to creating this type of experience, we push ourselves and the capability of the PlayStation hardware through constantly refined gameplay mechanics and technology innovation. Our dedication to creating the best interactive cinematic experience can be seen in our last two games – UNCHARTED: Drake’s Fortune and UNCHARTED 2: Among Thieves. We’re especially honored and humbled that both titles have been so successful, selling nearly 8 million units combined and earning more industry awards and accolades than we can keep track of. We’ve set the bar very high for us to outdo the past successes of our previous UNCHARTED games. We’re looking forward to taking on this challenge to top ourselves and create a truly unforgettable interactive cinematic experience that everyone can enjoy.

So, if you’re wondering what UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception has in store for you, we wanted to share some early details.

UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception features the return of famed fortune hunter Nathan Drake and follows him through a gripping, action-packed storyline that will take you all over the world. In his search for the fabled “Atlantis of the Sands,” Nathan Drake and longtime friend and mentor Victor Sullivan set off on a daring trek into the heart of the Arabian Desert. But when terrible secrets of this lost city are uncovered, their journey becomes a desperate bid for survival that will force Drake to confront his deepest fears.

Throughout UNCHARTED 3, you’ll be taken to spectacular new locations around the globe that will showcase all of the work we’ve taken on to take acclaimed physics, particle and visual effects to a new level.

Competitive and co-op multiplayer will return as a key ingredient to the UNCHARTED 3 package, where all of the new features we have planned will combine with our signature single-player cinematic gameplay to create a unique action-adventure multiplayer experience that can only be found in the UNCHARTED universe.

Oh, and there’s one more thing – UNCHARTED 3: Drake’s Deception fully supports high-resolution Stereoscopic 3D.

We’re looking forward to exploring it all with you in the months to come. Be sure to hit up your local newsstand tomorrow and pick up a copy of the December 17 issue of Entertainment Weekly – you’ll find a ton of additional details on UNCHARTED 3 and the new art shown above in glorious, full color print. Enjoy!

Rage HD (iPhone) review

What, has Id Software's new video game been leaked a year before the release!? No, but you will get a great preview on your iPhone.

John Carmack is a genius. What he does with his programming is nothing you can teach or even force out. He has a very rare talent whom few have. We have seen the results of it ever since Id Software became famous with Doom, revolutionized multiplayer with Quake and won every German game award for "Most Polygons" with the third game about the horrors of hell. Now, he intends to change the mobile market.

I read an interview with Carmack a few years ago where he described the happiness of finding his way back to his code roots, siting alone with a project and let your fingers do the magic with very limited basis. He also said that it would be very difficult to do a good shooter for mobile phones but with Rage HD he surprises everyone, probably also himself.

Rage HD is a full blown gaming experience and with classic Id-style, they push the technology without mercy. The nameless and always silent main character moves by himself, leaving you to control the sight which is done at the absolute best way I've ever experienced on the platform. To tilt the phone and let the gyro do the work sounds like a bad solution in advance, but once you get started, it feels very natural. It's also possible to control the sight by dragging your finger, which works great as well. In the corners of the screen, you will find buttons to shoot, reload and switch weapons. Simple but very effective.

With that information, you're ready to participate in the show Mutant Bash TV. The game is based on that show, and each track is a new episode. At launch, there're three levels: an apartment complex, a madhouse and a bunker. I wouldn't be surprised if more is released in a future update. On paper, the content may seem slim but since you are looking for high scores and reviews rather than to clear the tracks, although that in itself can be a challenge at first, it will last for a very long time.

Points can be scored, not surprisingly, by shooting the mutants that will crawl and jump out of all possible places. There're bags to pick, ammunition to collect and stationary targets to hit so you can count on that you will be busy from the start. During my first play-through I didn't do much more than shoot mutants. The entire process is on time so if you want to end up at the top charts you need to hit everything at a very fast rate. It simply smells Id and it's a taste I'll never get tired of.

The Texas company also shows tremendous confidence when they release Rage first on mobile phones, we're after all one year away from seeing their first major game in 14 years.

Overall: Rage HD is a must have for all that wants to play an awesome FPS on their iDevices. With great controls and impressive graphics make this one of the best games on the iPhone.

Review: Rage HD (iPhone) XXXX [4/5].

LP Underground X: Demos CD Track Listing

The track list of LPUX has surfaced the Internet. The CD was sold at the LPU Summit in London, so it's just a matter of time before it leaks.

Last years LPU CD was very good, I gave it five out five "X" (read my review here). I think this years CD is going to be even better. All the tracks look interesting except the "What I've Done" remix, but hopefully it's a different remix from the one we've already heard.

You can see the entire track listing below.

LP Underground X: Demos

01. "Unfortunate" (Unreleased Demo 2002)
02. "What We Don't Know" (Unreleased Demo 2007)
03. "Oh No" (Points of Authority Demo)
04. "I Have Not Begun" (Unreleased Demo 2009)
05. "Pale" (Unreleased Demo 2006)
06. "Pretend To Be" (Unreleased Demo 2008)
07. "Divided" (Unreleased Demo 2005)
08. "What I've Done" (M.Shinoda Remix)
09. "Coal" (Unreleased Demo 1997)
10. "Halo" (Unreleased Demo 2002)

New L.A. Noire trailer released

Rockstar has finally released a new trailer of L.A. Noire. The first trailer, which looked pre-rendered, was released 2006 and contained very few colors. This time it's in-game footage and contains bright colors. It also shows the most realistic facial animations since Heavy Rain.

L.A. Noire will be released Spring 2011. We will hopefully receive more information before that. This video game is a must-have because I know it's going to be awesome! Another "masterpiece" to my PlayStation 3 collection.

Watch the new trailer below!